Harry Potter and the Order Rising
by Riley Alicia
Summary: Harry is dead and the prophecy has been fulfilled. His friends decide to continue on without him, working to destroy Voldemort. Things do not always go as expected, and many surprises await them around every corner. Second part of HPPF.
1. The Tides Turn

A/N: Okay… here is the first chapter of the "sequel" I guess you could call it. Second chapter is nearly finished as well… enjoy!

**DO NOT READ THIS WITHOUT READING HP & THE PROPHECY FULFILLED! IT WILL NOT MAKES SENSE!**

**Harry Potter and the Order Rising**

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Chapter One: The Tides Turn

Susan Amelia Bones climbed to her knees, trembling slightly. Ernie quickly pocketed his wand and pulled her to her feet.

"I'm sorry, Susan, I didn't hurt you did I?" He asked anxiously. She attempted a weak smile.

"No, I'm just a bit shaken," she replied, trying to reassure herself as much as him. "That was a brilliant bit of magic, though, where did you learn that?" Ernie grinned sheepishly and slid _The Dark Arts Outsmarted_ from the shelf behind her and leafed through the pages to the middle of the book.

"It's in here. I've been practicing it a lot lately," he admitted.

"Have you been coming here by yourself?" She was astonished. She took the book, glancing around the Room of Requirement. She and Ernie and a few other ex-DA members had been meeting there secretly ever since they'd discovered that Harry Potter wasn't returning to Hogwarts this year. It was obvious to all of them why he had not returned. Any idiot could see that he was going after Voldemort. They were planning – hoping – that once they'd trained up a bit more, that they could join him.

Susan's insides burned as she thought of her uncle Edgar and her aunt and cousins. Sure, she'd been too young to remember, but they were her family. And she positively fumed at the thought of what they'd done to her Auntie Amelia.

Ernie was fighting for Dumbledore, she knew. He'd always admired the old Headmaster's intellect and power. His family had also been close to Dumbledore for years.

Justin Finch-Fletchley wanted to avenge the death of Hannah Abbott's mother. Justin and Hannah had been a couple for awhile, until Hannah had been told the news and had left school. Susan remembered sitting with Justin in their common room, soothing him after Hannah had left. He and Hannah were both muggle-borns, and it struck him on a personal level that her mother, a muggle, could be in harm's way. Susan was unsure of the other members' reasoning, but she felt it didn't matter, as long as they were willing to fight.

At the present moment, Justin, Michael Corner, and Anthony Goldstein were attending their N.E.W.T Muggle Studies lesson, which Susan and Ernie had opted not to take. Lavender Brown was in Divination, Terry Boot was attending Arithmancy, and Dean Thomas was in the library, working on his Transfiguration essay. They were all that was left of the original group. Besides those who had graduated, the Patils, Zacharias Smith, Seamus Finnigan, and the Creevey brothers had not returned to Hogwarts this year. Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood had disappeared the evening of the first day and had not been seen again. It was at this point that Ernie had voiced his opinion (although this was not an uncommon occurrence).

Ernie had reasoned that while McGonagall would be likely to approve a re-formed D.A., she would undoubtedly not approve of their motives, and for this reason they had decided to meet in secret. Even without Harry, who had been an excellent teacher, they made good progress. They met as often as possible. They had no leader, not really, but Ernie would schedule a meeting now and then. In between these, whoever wanted would come to the room and practice, usually in pairs or in small groups if they were able. They spent most of their free periods there, and many evenings as well, practicing, always practicing.

"Err, well, I had hoped to get good enough at it that I could show it to the rest of you," Ernie told her, pulling her out of her reverie. They had many classes together and most of the same free periods, and so they had become near-permanent partners.

"You should definitely show everyone at our next group meeting," Susan said excitedly. Ernie grinned.

"I think I will. We're supposed to be working on our shield charms next time." Susan nodded. Most of them had already perfected stunning, freezing, disarming, and many useful jinxes, such as the full-body bind. They were having difficulties with their patronuses. Susan reasoned that it was probably because they had a hard time thinking of happy thoughts. Ernie and Terry had been researching different shields and ways to block jinxes and curses.

She glanced down at the book in her hands. The block Ernie had just used against her stunner had nearly knocked her out. It was a powerful spell for sure.

"Do you think we can do this?" She asked Ernie suddenly, looking up at him. He stared at her.

"Do what?" He asked, confused. She closed the book and placed it back on the shelf as they began to pack their bags for Charms, their next class.

"This. Fight You-Know-Who and his Death Eaters." She replied. Ernie put an arm around her shoulders and guided her out into the corridor.

"Yes, I do. We just have to believe we can. I just don't know how we're going to find Harry… we've been trying for nearly two weeks and no one has seen or heard about him at all." Susan tapped her chin.

"I wonder…" she began. Ernie glanced down at her.

"What?"

"Well, it's pretty safe to say Hermione Granger and Ron and Ginny Weasley went with him. I mean, they were inseparable and none of them returned to school this term."

"Go on," Ernie prodded, looking interested.

"Well, I just wondered if the Weasley's parents would be able to help. I know that Harry lived with his muggle aunt and uncle and Hermione's parents are muggles, so we may not get much help there, but with the Weasleys we might. Surely they know where to find them?" Ernie smiled.

"Susan, you're a genius! Why didn't we think of that before?" She shrugged.

"It just came to me now," she replied modestly. "We'll bring it up at the meeting tonight and if we all agree, someone will have to send an owl to the Weasleys."

Later, after Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts, and a quick dinner, Susan and Ernie returned to the Room of Requirement with the others. As soon as everyone was gathered, Susan explained her idea. They all agreed that it was brilliant.

"But should we send an owl?" Terry asked. "I mean, how will they be sure it's not from an enemy? They may not write back at all."

"What are our other options?" Lavender demanded. "We can't exactly leave school to go track them down." She alone seemed somewhat reluctant to join Harry. She wanted to fight, but Susan knew she was dreading having to face Ron and Hermione. Being that they only two girls left in the DA, Susan and Lavender had become good friends.

"Neville and Luna did," Terry argued back. "I don't see why we should be any different. We're Harry's friends, too, aren't we?"

"Yeah, but it was easy for them. They were only two, we're eight. And I heard McGonagall telling Flitwick that they used the thestrals to leave. I doubt we'll be able to find eight thestrals to fly on without attracting some bit of attention."

"Well, what do you propose, then?" Ernie barked. Michael shrugged.

"I don't know," he replied. "Give me a day or two; I'll try to think of something."

Ginny opened her eyes and blinked. Lifting her head and looking around, she saw Draco, Hermione, and Katrina climbing to their feet.

"Wh-what just happened?" Hermione asked shakily. The dementors were gone, and several black cloaks were lying on the ground around them, as though the dementors inside of them had vanished.

"I have no idea, but I think we won," Draco replied, his voice trembling like Hermione's.

"Why did your patronuses combine like that?" Katrina asked. "I've never seen anything like it!" Ginny picked herself up off of the ground. Her hands shook as she bent over and retrieved her fallen wand.

"I don't know, but I felt _different _than I ever have while conjuring a patronus. Like this surge of power was running through me…" she trailed off.

"That's what I felt," Draco said, looking astonished. Hermione leaned against a tree, looking lost in thought.

"There has to be some sort of connection there. Maybe it's because we were touching, and we said the spell together," Ginny suggested.

"Maybe," Hermione said, though she looked doubtful. "Patronuses feed off of your emotions. The happier your thought is, the more powerful your patronus is. If you're touching someone else while performing a spell, sometimes you can absorb a bit of their power and make your spell more powerful, but it's dangerous because you can take too much power from them and make them weak. But anyway patronuses don't work off of your power that way. Unless…" She stared each of them down, a beady look in her eye.

"What?" Draco demanded.

"What were you thinking of? What was your happy thought?" Hermione asked them. Ginny blushed slightly.

"Well, I-I was thinking of Harry, of happier times with him, I guess," she mumbled. Hermione turned to Draco, who flushed and turned away.

"What were you thinking of, Draco?" Hermione demanded. Draco turned back and glared at her, and then looked at the ground.

"Well, I don't really have a lot of happy memories, you know, so I didn't really know what to think of and…" he trailed off, and Hermione put her hands on her hips, waiting. "Iwasinkinofodder," he mumbled.

"Sorry, didn't catch that." Ginny said, deliberately teasing him. Draco glared at her, too.

"All right, all right! I was thinking of Potter. I mean, he was already kind of on my mind since he just died and all, and, well, he gave me a second chance even though I didn't deserve it, and no one's ever done that for me. It's one of the only happy memories I have," he snapped. Hermione just shook her head.

"You're not a bad guy, Draco, do you know that?" He shrugged, rolling his eyes.

"So what do we do now?" Hermione sighed.

"I'm not sure. I guess we should just wait here for Ron and Neville to return." As she said these words, two cracks announced the arrival of their friends. To Ginny's surprise, Luna was with them and was not chained.

"What's going on?" She demanded. Ron held up his hand.

"Ginny, let me explain-"

"Explain what? Why is she here?" Luna began to cry silently. Ginny glared at her. Neville put his arm around Luna's shoulders.

"Luna didn't do it." Using the tip of his wand, Neville tugged at the chain of the locket and pulled it out of her shirt. It was glowing. Ginny put a hand over her mouth.

"Does this mean that that is a-" Hermione asked, staring in awe. Ron nodded.

"It – he – possessed her," he explained. "He made her do it." Ginny felt terrible. She knew what it was like to be possessed.

"I-I'm sorry, Luna," she said quietly. "I had no idea you were-" Luna stopped her.

"It's okay," she replied. "You couldn't have known." Ginny shook her head.

"But I should have. I've been there before; I should have read the signs." Luna hugged her, surprising her.

"You can't be strong all the time," she whispered, low enough that the others couldn't hear. Ginny shook her head.

"I can try," she replied fiercely.

"We need to destroy that locket," Hermione said.

"And how are we supposed to do that?" Draco demanded. "Does anyone here know anything about how to destroy a horcrux?" They all shook their heads, except Ginny.

"Well, Harry put a basilisk fang through the diary," she said quietly. "And, if I remember correctly, Tom had already come out of it, because Harry said he talked to him." Hermione nodded.

"That's right! He used your life-force to come out of the diary. So we need to draw him out of that locket somehow." Ginny shook her head.

"No way. He has to drain the life out of someone and that's much too dangerous. I almost _died_."

"I'll do it," Luna spoke up. She had a very determined look on her face.

"No, Luna, you don't have to do this," Ginny said quickly, glaring at Hermione for bringing it up. "We don't want to lose you." Luna squeezed her hand.

"I'm partly responsible for this. I could have told any of you about the voices, but I was scared. If I had, Harry would still be alive."

"It's not your fault," Ginny protested. Luna smiled slightly.

"I'm doing this, for Harry. It's the least I can do." Hermione pushed away from the tree.

"But Luna-"

"For Harry," she repeated firmly.

"Luna," Hermione shook the blonde. "Luna, please wake up!" She repeated tearfully. Hermione and Luna were alone in the clearing with Harry's lifeless body. Sunlight had long since begun to pour through the trees; it was now past midday.

"She won't wake," a voice said. Hermione looked up and gasped; Voldemort was standing above her, his body a misty gray and growing more solid by the minute.

"What have you done to her?" Hermione demanded.

"I've taken her life-force, mudblood," Voldemort replied. He looked to be in his early twenties, his face had not yet taken on its disproportioned state. He was still as handsome and young looking as his father had been. "Eventually, she will slip away quietly and I will become whole." He reached down and took the locket from around Luna's neck.

"Don't touch her!" Hermione cried hysterically. Voldemort smiled evilly and twisted the chain around his long fingers.

"She's of no use anymore. I might as well just kill her and get it over with, but then why waste the energy? She was pathetically easy to control, you know. Weak, magically _and _emotionally. So I used her to kill Harry Potter and now I'll regain my body and become whole!" He tossed the locket to the ground and advanced toward Hermione.

"How could you have known to kill Harry?" Hermione continued, stalling as she backed quickly away. Where were the others? "As far as you're concerned, the prophecy won't happen for another thirty years or more."

"I read it all from her mind, of course. It was all right there, plain as day, about the prophecy and your pathetic plans to destroy my horcruxes. Of course I cannot let such a thing happen. So I had to come out quickly to destroy you all. Where are your friends? We can make this a party," he said, smirking.

"You're evil!" Hermione hissed at him. He sneered.

"And what would you know of good and evil, mudblood? There is no good, and no evil, only power, something you will never have, you filthy blooded wench." Hermione was seeing red by this point, and she stood and went to draw her wand, but it was not there. Voldemort laughed quietly, a sinister laugh that made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end as he held up her wand.

"Looking for this? You should really keep track of such things. How pitiful it would be to die by your own wand." He raised the wand, leveling it at the terrified girl.

"_Avada Kedavra_!" Voldemort's eyes widened in shock. Whipping around, he saw Ron, Neville, Ginny, Draco, and Katrina, all standing over the open locket, their wands pointed at it. Voldemort began to fade away.

"No!" He screamed, but it was no use. Another fragment of Voldemort's soul disappeared forever.


	2. Regrets and Rewards

**Chapter Two: Regrets**

Somewhere in his underground castle, the present day Voldemort stumbled. His faithful sniveler, Peter Pettigrew, caught him.

"Master, are you all right?" He asked. Voldemort shook his head.

"I'm fine," he snapped, obviously angry that Pettigrew had witnessed such a moment of weakness. "Where is Severus?" He demanded.

"I am here, my lord," Severus came out of the shadows.

"What is the status on Potter?" Voldemort demanded. "I know Mr. Malfoy visited you a few days ago. That mudblood Granger was with him, I am told."

"Yes, Draco told me he had been forced to bring her along. Potter doesn't fully trust him yet. He will, in time, though. The boy is no smarter than Dumbledore. That's the problem with the Order; they're always ready to forgive, to trust, to give second chances. It makes them easy to manipulate."

"Yes, I understand this. That fool Dumbledore made a fatal mistake in trusting you, Severus, I am sure he knows this by now. Of course, Harry Potter still believes he can defeat me. He will never defeat me. _Love_," Voldemort scoffed. "What sort of magic is that? What sort of power could be behind something as weak as human emotion?"

Severus did not answer. Privately, he was thinking that his master underestimated Potter, the same as he had always underestimated Dumbledore. Potter had power even Potter didn't know about himself. But Severus was wise enough to keep these thoughts to himself.

"I will keep in touch with Draco, my Lord, and I will inform you as soon as I have more information on Potter's activity. I doubt the Order is functioning very well without Dumbledore. They have no leader, no direction, so it is merely Potter against you, my lord."

"Child's play," Voldemort replied, smiling in a satisfied sort of way. "I must admit I was excessively angry when I heard you'd been exposed as my spy, Severus, but having Dumbledore dead is worth far more. They will not stand a chance without him."

Severus bowed and exited the room, leaving Voldemort to his musings. As he descended the stone steps that led out of Voldemort's throne room, he felt like retching. Being Voldemort's number one wasn't exactly his idea of a good life. Even if Voldemort did manage to defeat Potter and take over, there was little chance he'd share much of that power. Bellatrix and ones like her could believe all they wanted that Voldemort would give them a share of the glory, but Severus knew better, and it disgusted him. Groveling, killing, torturing, and for what?

He passed a chamber with its door wide open. Narcissa Malfoy was sitting inside in front of a small vanity, brushing her long blonde hair. Severus froze. As if pulled by a spell, he entered the room, knocking softly on the door as he passed it.

Narcissa turned and smiled at him. Her smile brought him back to happier days, when they were young. Distant cousins on his mother's side, they'd been friends all of their lives. When he learned she'd been promised to Lucius Malfoy, he'd been devastated for her, but she'd explained to him, "_That's how things are done, Severus. You should have been promised, too_." It kept them from marrying for love, which their elder relatives viewed as a weakness.

Severus had been given the luxury of a choice, thanks to his muggle father, but this had come with the price of respect. A Slytherin through and through, he'd been ridiculed and despised all of his life by those he should have been able to count as friends. Sure, there were those who had been kind to him. Narcissa, for one, and a muggle-born named Lily Evans. But for the most part he was caught between two worlds: the other houses hated him for being a Slytherin, and the Slytherins hated him for his parentage.

In the middle of his fifth year at Hogwarts, his father died. His mother, having no other choice, went crawling back to her family, who welcomed her grudgingly, only because Severus was the last male heir and they wanted to raise him up for that part.

So he went back to Hogwarts after the Christmas Holidays with a new status. His family was not the richest of the bunch, but they were one of the most influential pureblood families around.

From then on, he was part of the Slytherin inner circle, but this, too, came with a price: he lost Lily. He couldn't put up the pretense of being a snobby pureblood and hang around with a muggleborn. His heart wrenched every time he remembered that day, after their O.W.L.s.

"_I don't need help from filthy little mudbloods like her."_

"_Fine… I'd wash your pants if I were you, _Snivellus."

He felt sick at the memory. It still haunted him, even now. And to think she'd died because of him, she'd died before he could tell her how sorry he was, tell her how he had really felt all those years… how he still felt, even today.

_She's dead, Severus,_ he reminded himself. _It's nearly been twenty years. Let it go_.

"Hello, Cissy," he said quietly, approaching her chair.

"Hello, Severus," she replied. "How is my son?"

"He is quite well, actually. He visited me just yesterday." She smiled again.

"So I've heard. Is he doing well on his mission?" She inquired. Severus nodded.

"Of course he is. He'll do better this time, I'm sure. His last failure nearly got him killed; he won't be forgetting that any time soon." Narcissa nodded.

"I'm sure he won't. And neither will I." She grasped his wrist. "Severus, you kept your promise before, will you continue to? Will you look after him? I can't bear to lose my son."

"I will do my best by Draco, I promise you." He kissed her on the cheek and left the room.

"Oh thanks goodness," Hermione whispered, leaning against a tree. She looked exhausted. Ginny rushed over and helped a pale Luna to her feet.

"That was amazing, Hermione," Ron told her. They all nodded their agreement. "_I_ almost believed you!"

"I _was_ scared," she admitted softly. "I didn't mean for him to get my wand." Ginny hugged her.

"It's okay," she assured her. "We wouldn't have let him hurt you. We were watching but we wanted to wait until he put the locket down."

"What if he hadn't?" She asked. Ginny shrugged.

"Then we would have jumped in, regardless. But we were hoping for the element of surprise, and we got it."

"I'm just glad it worked," Katrina said. "It could have been disastrous-"

"Let's not think about all the ways it could go wrong, okay?" Ron broke in. "Let's just figure out where we need to go from here." Hermione looked around at them

"We need to find that tiara. It's in these woods somewhere, I'm sure of it," she said. Ginny nodded.

"I would venture to guess that it's in the deepest, darkest part." Ron sighed.

"All right then, we're off to the darkest, scariest part of the forest."

"Don't you think we should split up?" Katrina asked. "It could be either direction, and it might be better if we have two groups looking rather than just one big group." She looked around. "That, and we're a very large group now. It might be safer to split up." Hermione nodded.

"You're right; there are way too many of us. Okay, Ron, Luna, and I will go this way, and Draco, Neville, Ginny, and Katrina can go that way. Is everyone okay with that?" They nodded. Ginny felt a bit miffed that they were taking Luna rather than her, but said nothing.

"Let's go," Ron said.

"Hermione, we've been walking in circles for hours!" Ron huffed sometime later. "I think it would be safe to say that we're going the wrong way!" Hermione ignored him.

"I can feel the magic," she whispered. "I know it's close."

She'd had her eyes closed almost the entire time, clutching Luna's arm to be sure she wouldn't walk into a tree.

"Hermione," Luna's breathy voice interrupted her thoughts, "I think he's right. I think we should go back. Maybe the others found something."

"If the others had found anything," Hermione said without opening her eyes, "they would have contacted – oof!" Hermione stopped in mid-sentence, as she had walked into something solid. "Luna! I told you not to let me walk into any trees!" She snapped, opening her eyes.

"Hermione, that's not a tree…" Luna trailed off, but Hermione didn't need her to continue. She had walked into an invisible wall.

"What the-" Ron said. Hermione smiled triumphantly.

"I told you!" She replied. "This has to be part of whatever is guarding the horcrux. Why else would there be an invisible wall here?" Ron glared at her.

"Yeah, yeah, you're so smart, we know already. Now how do we get past this wall, and what's behind it?" He demanded. Hermione put her hand against the wall and began to walk, gauging how far the wall went and where it started and ended.

"It's a circle," she said after a moment. "I can't find a beginning or an ending to it, and I've just walked all the way around it. It's guarding that tree." Sure enough, there was only one tree that could be seen for several yards, but they couldn't get to it, no matter which way they went.

"That tree looks familiar," Ron said, "but I can't put my finger on where I've seen it before." Hermione wasn't listening. She was holding her wand out, pointing it at the wall and muttering as she walked around it.

"There has to be a door," she said. "Harry told us about the cave, and how Voldemort had fashioned ways to be able to come back and visit or move the horcruxes, remember? So there has to be an invisible door somewhere…" She trailed off. Ron and Luna stood and looked on, amazed at her perspicacity.

Ron followed Hermione around the wall as she searched for the hidden door. After a moment, she stopped suddenly so that Ron walked into her.

"Sorry," he muttered, but she wasn't listening. She was running her hand over the section of wall they'd stopped at. "Do you think we have to give it blood, like Harry said they did in the cave?" Hermione shook her head.

"_Alohomora!"_ She said, waving her wand triumphantly. She gave Ron a light push, and he lost his balance and stepped right past her.

"Hey, the wall is gone!" He exclaimed. He frowned "That was too easy."

"Not really. If you think about it, very few people are going to come this far into the forest. If they do, few of those would make it past those dementors we finished off. In the off chance that someone _does_, they're not going to know what this wall is guarding, and so they won't bother to try and get past it, but even if they do, they are not going to expect to find a _door_ because they won't know about Voldemort wanting to visit his horcruxes. So all in all I would say Voldemort figured he wouldn't need to make the door difficult to open." She said all of this very fast. Ron stared at her.

"Hermione, are you channeling Dumbledore's spirit or something?" Hermione blushed.

"Well, no, I'm just using common sense. I mean, Dumbledore was smart, but he was clever more than anything."

"And I still say you're the cleverest witch I've ever known," Ron replied, still goggling at her. She shook her head.

"Come on, let's go in." She walked past Ron, Luna at her heels. She'd hardly gone in three steps when a branch whipped out of nowhere, catching her across the side of her head and sending her tumbling to the forest floor, where she lay still.

Ron, on instinct, grabbed Luna and pulled her down to safety.

"I _knew _this tree looked familiar!" He said. Luna stared at him. "It's a Whomping Willow," he told her, feeling disgusted with himself for not realizing this sooner. The tree was still waving its limbs madly but Ron and Luna were just out of its reach.

"What are we going to do?" Luna asked. She glanced over at Hermione, who hadn't moved. "We need to get to her, what if she's hurt?" Ron scratched his head for a moment, looking at the tree and then back at Luna. He suddenly realized just how tiny she really was.

"Ok, I'm going to need your help, since you're so small. You see that knot in the middle of the tree?" She nodded. "I need you to crawl on your belly, keeping as low as you can, and push that. Can you do that?" She nodded, looking scared. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," she said, struggling to keep her voice steady. Before he could say anything else, she'd flattened herself out along the grass and was inching, like an absurd snake, toward the tree. Ron decided the best he could do was try and distract the tree, which was shaking its limbs angrily. Ron took a tentative step toward the tree, jumping backward as it swung out.

He glanced side-long at Hermione, who was stirring slightly. He inched around the tree in her direction, now and then purposely stepping within reach of the limbs only to jump out of the way just in time. Luna was almost to the trunk now. He reached Hermione and helped her sit up.

"Oh, my head," she groaned. "What happened?" The tree swung out and Ron pulled her out of reach.

"The tree is a Whomping Willow," he explained. "And a very smart – and very mean – one at that." Hermione looked around.

"Where's Luna?" She whispered. Ron nodded toward the tree. She was almost there – he stepped forward to draw the tree's attention. It swung – and went stiff mid-swing. Ron sagged with relief. He helped Hermione to her feet and they joined Luna at the tree trunk.

"That was amazing, Luna," Ron said. "You're a life-saver." Hermione massaged her head.

"I feel a little dumb," she confessed. "I should have seen that coming." Ron hugged her.

"You couldn't have possibly. I should have recognized the tree for what it was. I've definitely had enough experience with these monsters." Hermione shook her head.

"We'll just have to be on our toes better than that." She turned and examined the tree. "So, is it _in_ the tree?" She walked around it, looking up and down. Luna moved closer to the tree.

"I don't see any- aaahhh!!" Hermione whipped around. Luna had disappeared.

"Luna?" She went around to the other side of the tree. Ron was examining a small hole at the base.

"Déjà vu, anyone?" He joked. "Should we go down?"

"Well, we don't really have a choice," Hermione replied. "We have to go get Luna. And I doubt there's a Shrieking Shack at the end of this tunnel." She sat down and dangled her legs through the hole. "Meet you down there," she said with a quick smile, and jumped through. Ron shook his head.

"There better not be any Devil's Snare down here, either," he said to himself, and jumped after her.

It was pitch black underneath the tree, and Ron hoped he wouldn't land on anyone. He felt his feet connect with solid ground, but before he had a chance to stumble or fall, someone grabbed his arm and yanked him back.

"_Lumos!_" He heard Hermione whisper. She was holding him against a wall. In front of them was another gaping hole.

"Will this ever end?" Ron moaned. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Just light your wand." He obeyed. "Luna must have fallen down there, too. Come on." She sat in the ground once more. "This one is more like slide," she whispered. She pushed off and disappeared. Ron sighed and slid down after her. He could just see the light from her wand up ahead as he slid, faster and faster down the hole.

With a loud THUD he heard Hermione hit solid ground in front of him. He tried to slow himself down but it was futile, and he toppled out of the hole, landing on his back next to her. Luna was lying right in front of him, a cut on her head bleeding slightly.

Hermione immediately went to work patching her up and then waking her. She sat up and looked around, disoriented.

"What happened?" She blinked several times, placing her hand to her head. "Where are we?"

"You fell," Hermione told her quietly. "There was a hole at the base of the tree and you fell through it. It led down here." Ron got slowly to his feet and gazed around in awe.

"Merlin's beard…." He trailed off and Hermione and Luna turned around and looked in his direction.

The cave was full of treasure. Gold coins were piled everywhere, along with rubies and emeralds as big as Ron's hand. Several gold crowns rested atop the pile, inlaid with jewels themselves. But what caught Ron's eye was the pedestal in the middle of the cave.

Resting on the pedestal was a gleaming golden cup. The light emitting from it lit the entire cave.

Luna ran forward and seemed to hit something invisible just a few feet from the cup. There was a crackle of electricity and she collapsed to the ground. Hermione rushed forward.

"Not again!" Ron groaned. He picked his way over the piles of treasure to them.

"It's another force field," Hermione said quietly. "Only more dangerous. I don't think you can touch this one."

"Is Luna okay?" Ron asked. Hermione nodded.

"She's breathing fine. I think it just stunned her." Hermione pulled out her wand. "Somehow I don't think _alohomora_ is going to work on this one." Ron shook his head.

"Probably not." Hermione pointed her wand at the cup.

"_Accio_ cup!" The force field lit up for a moment before fading away again.

"You didn't really expect that to work, did you?" Ron asked. Hermione glared at him.

"No," she snapped. "Of course not. But I wanted to see what it would do. Something tells me that Inferi are not going to be the problem here." She paced back and forth.

Ron sat on the ground next to one of the gold crowns. It gleamed brightly.

"Hermione, I thought the tiara was supposed to be here." Hermione shrugged.

"Obviously we were wrong. It's possible that Voldemort had time to make this cup into a horcrux just before he went after Harry." Ron nodded.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Sighing, he reached down and picked up the gold crown, examining the jewels. There was a rather large one in the very center that seemed to shine a bit more than the rest. Curious, Ron touched it.

To his surprise, it sank into the metal. The force field lit up again. With a terrifying groan, the walls of the cave began to move inward.

"What did you do?" Hermione demanded. Ron began to understand.

"Grab the other crowns," he shouted quickly. "Push the jewel in the middle." He dove down the piles to the next crown that was sitting several feet away. Pushing the jewel, the force field flashed again.

Two more flashes told him Hermione had two crowns. Looking around frantically, Ron saw the last one at the very top of the highest mound of coins.

His feet slipping on the coins, he scrambled upward. The walls were getting closer every second.

"Hurry, Ron!" He heard Hermione cry from behind him. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw her pulling Luna to the center of the room, away from the walls.

The walls were barely five feet apart as Ron's toe caught a large jewel and he sprawled forward, his fingers inches from the last crown. Throwing his body forward, he grabbed it and pushed the jewel.

With a loud creak, the walls stopped moving. The force field flashed, flickered and died. Ron flipped over onto his back and rested, staring up at the low ceiling. Crunching noises told him Hermione was approaching him. She was attempting to hoist Luna up with her.

Reaching down, Ron helped her. Just as they reached the top, Luna's eyes flickered open.

"What happened this time?" She asked, her voices irritated.

"Invisible force field," Hermione explained shortly. "I think we got rid of it."

Tentatively, she put her hand out in front of her and took a step forward. And another. And another. With a satisfied grin, she touched the edge of the pedestal.

Ron hurried over to her side, Luna right behind him. They circled around the cup.

"Do you think – can we touch it?" Ron whispered. Hermione shrugged.

"There's only one way to find out." Reaching out, she grasped the handle of the cup and wrenched it from the pedestal.

A rumbling sound began to fill the chamber. The three teens lifted terrified gazes to the ceiling, which seemed to be cracking.

"We need to get out of here," Ron said in a hushed voice. Hermione and Luna stood, rooted to the spot. "Now! Go!" He grabbed them by their elbows and yanked them down. They slid to the bottom of the mound and stumbled over the coins and jewels as large chunks of rock started to rain down on them. Throwing his hands up over his head, Ron dove into the hole that was the bottom of the slide. Hermione and Luna dove in after him as the ceiling gave way and collapsed.

Hermione hastily lit her wand and held it up.

"We'll have to climb back up," she said, sounding exhausted. Ron nodded, taking the cup from her hands.

"You go first. Once you get to the top, contact the others on your coin." Hermione nodded and began scrambling up the steep slope, grabbing at jutted rocks and grooves.

Ron sent Luna next, and then began to pull himself up after her with one hand, the other clutching the golden cup. Sweating and swearing, he gripped wherever he could. His fingers were scratched and bleeding. Suddenly, a small hand reached out and grasped his, pulling him out of the hole. Luna smiled, sitting on the edge.

"Now, how do we get back up this hole?" Hermione wondered. Handing the cup to Luna, Ron laced his fingers together and flattened his palms, widening his stance.

"Come on," he said to Hermione. She nodded and put one foot on his hands, gripping his shoulders painfully hard. Reaching up, she grabbed the edges of the hole and pulled herself through. Luna set the cup on the ground by Ron's feet and climbed up after Hermione.

Picking up the cup, Ron pointed his wand at it.

"_Wingardium Leviosa_," he said, and the cup floated up and out of the hole, where he saw Hermione reach out and grab it.

He was just pondering how to get himself out when the two girls reached down toward him. He grabbed their hands and together they hoisted him out of the hole and into the darkness of the forest.

"Thanks," he said. Hermione grabbed the cup from the ground beside her.

"Let's go," she said. "We need to find the others."


	3. Glorious Return

**Chapter Three: Glorious Return**

Harry opened his eyes, and for a moment, he couldn't figure out where he was… the room looked familiar. Boxes were stacked all around. He lifted his head, gazing around. _Is this the afterlife? _He wondered. It didn't make sense, but he had passed on, hadn't he? He rose up and propped himself on his elbows, listening, and heard voices from outside the door.

He sat himself up all the way and waited, listening hard. The voices sounded familiar.

The door opened and Remus Lupin came into the room. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley filed in behind him. When Mrs. Weasley saw Harry sitting up, she screamed and fainted dead away.

Mr. Weasley caught her, his hands trembling as he stared at Harry. Remus' face was white.

"H-Harry?" He asked. Harry reached out a hand and touched his old professors' cheek. It was solid and warm.

"A-am I dreaming?" He asked. "W-where am I?" Remus put his hand on Harry's.

"You're at the Burrow, but…" He didn't get a chance to finish, as Harry jumped up off of the bed.

"You mean I'm not dead?" He whispered. "I'm not dead!" He shouted joyfully. "That's what Sirius meant about it being my lucky day."

"Harry, what are you talking about? A-and -- not that I'm not pleased -- why are you _not_ dead? Ron brought you back here; he told us Luna was possessed, that she killed you…" Remus trailed off. Mr. Weasley was listening carefully as he tried to revive Mrs. Weasley yet again.

"Yes, but I…" Harry grasped for the details, but they were slipping away from him like water between his fingers, like dreams often do when one awakes. "I went to this place, and I saw someone I knew… I-I forget where or whom, but we talked, and then they said something about me having nine lives, and I woke up here."

"I'm sorry, Harry, but this isn't making any sense," Remus replied.

"You should ask him something," Mr. Weasley said, speaking at last. "What if he's a death eater in disguise?"

"I'm not a death eater," Harry protested, but Remus held up his hand.

"If you're really Harry, you'll know what question I'm going to ask you before I even ask it," he said calmly. Harry had to grin at that.

"It's a stag, Moony," he replied, still grinning. Remus smiled, too.

"It's definitely him," he said over his shoulder to Mr. Weasley. "Okay, so you went to some place, and met some person that you knew?"

"I- ok this is going to sound crazy, but I think it was Sirius," Harry finished in a low voice. Remus studied him for a moment.

"It's possible that the curse didn't work," he said finally, "and it only put you in a coma or knocked you out for awhile. You were probably dreaming this whole time."

"You think it was all a dream?" Harry asked. Remus shrugged.

"I can't say for sure, but, Harry, no one can come back from the dead. You know that." Harry sighed.

"I know, but it all seemed so real. I mean, Sirius seemed real. And I know we talked about stuff that was real."

"That can happen in dreams, too. I'm sure Luna just wasn't powerful enough to perform the curse correctly. Or possibly she was fighting the possession and stopped it from working. It knocked you out and you've been dreaming this whole time. It's been a couple of hours since Ron and Neville came to tell us."

"Where are they?" Harry asked, looking around.

"They went back to join the rest of your friends. Ron said they planned to continue your work, whatever that means. He said they were going to kill Voldemort for you." Harry stared at him.

"Th-they are? He said that?" He was shocked, although he should have expected nothing less from such loyal friends. He hugged Remus tightly. "Thank you, but I have to go; I have to catch up with them." Remus grabbed his arm as he started to walk away.

"Harry, you can't just pop in on them, you'll probably frighten them to death! They think _you're_ dead. I'll go with you, that way I can break it to them before they see you." Harry wanted to protest, but he knew Remus was right.

"All right, we need to go then. There's no telling what kind of danger they could have gotten into by now." Remus nodded at Mr. Weasley.

"Will you tell the others?" He asked. Mr. Weasley nodded, seemingly at a loss for words.

"Thank you, Mr. Weasley," Harry said, and Remus grabbed his arm. With a small pop, they were gone.

"Where in the forest are they, Harry?" Remus asked. They'd reached the edge of the trees. Harry closed his eyes for a moment, trying to remember which way they'd gone. Finally, he opened them and pointed off toward the north east.

"I think we went that way, but I can't be sure exactly where they are now. We started off going that way and just went deeper into the forest." Remus nodded.

"Well, we'll just have to head that way and hope we run into someone. Take this invisibility cloak and put it over you, that way if they see us first they won't think you're being impersonated by a death eater or something." Harry couldn't help chuckling.

"I guess that would probably be a bad thing. I'd hate to get cursed from behind!" Remus smiled slightly and shook his head. They began walking.

"Okay, I think we're going to wrong way," Ginny said. Draco, Neville, and Katrina didn't answer. They'd been walking so long she felt as though her legs might just give out. "The trees are starting to thin out, which means we're heading out of the forest. I highly doubt Voldemort would be dumb enough to hide it near the edge of the forest."

"I agree with you," Katrina said, "but if the others had found anything they would have contacted us, so there can't be anything that way." Ginny shook her head.

"It _has_ to be that way, even if they haven't found it yet. The farther we walk this way, the less I can feel the dark magic."

"Ouch!" Ginny said, shaking her hand. Her coin was burning. Holding it up, she watched a message form.

_Found horcrux… meet us back at the Burrow._

"Why the Burrow?" Katrina asked, looking uncomfortable.

"We can't get into Grimmauld Place," Neville replied. "Ron and I tried, but it's gone." Ginny gasped.

"Harry was secret keeper," she whispered. "Well, let's go." Ginny turned to Draco, who was staring off in the distance. "Draco?" She asked softly.

"I saw someone," he said without turning around. "Through the trees." Ginny looked over his shoulder but saw nothing.

"I don't see anyo-" she stopped short. A figure was coming slowly through the trees toward them.

"Harry, I think we're lost," Remus said in a tired voice. "This area of the forest is much lighter than where we came from. I think we're coming to the edge, maybe we should turn back." Harry glanced up at him.

"Well, it's obvious we need to go a different way," he replied. "But we were lost from the moment we entered this place." He tried to inject a note of humor in his voice, but found he was much too tired. They'd been walking for hours and had yet to see even a glimpse of any of his friends.

"You said we should walk deeper into the forest," Remus reminded him. "Maybe we should turn around and then when we see something familiar, we'll go from there."

"Familiar?" Harry joked. "Everyone one of these trees looks the same as the last." He looked out ahead and stopped short, causing Remus to walk into him.

"Harry, you have to warn me when you stop, I can't see you," Remus half-scolded.

"Sorry," Harry replied quickly. "But look! " He pointed ahead, although Remus couldn't see him, but it didn't matter.

"I see someone," he said. They began to head that way, trying not to walk too fast as to not scare whoever they came upon. As they neared the area, however, it became clear that the person had disappeared.

"But… they were just here," Harry protested. Remus was looking around, but there was no one in sight.

Suddenly, Katrina and Draco came advancing out of the trees from different angles, their wands at the ready. Harry threw his hands in the air, forgetting that they couldn't see him.

"Who are you?" Katrina demanded.

"Wait, stop!" Harry heard Neville's voice from behind them. He and Remus whipped around to see him standing there, looking dumbfounded.

"Professor Lupin?" He asked suspiciously. Ginny came out from behind him.

"Professor?"

"Moony," he reminded her, and she grinned.

"Moony," she repeated, coming forward to give him a quick hug. "What are you doing here?" His smiled disappeared.

"There's something I need to tell you, Ginny, if your friends here would consent to listen. Remus Lupin, by the way," Remus introduced himself to Katrina and Draco, the latter watching him carefully.

"I remember you," he said after a moment. "You taught Defense Against the Dark Arts in our third year." Remus scrutinized him for a moment.

"Draco, isn't it?" He asked. Draco nodded.

"And you are?" Remus turned to Katrina.

"Katrina Corner," she replied, shaking his hand. "I was a friend of Dumbledore's, and this lot asked me for my help." Remus eyed her suspiciously but said nothing.

"What's wrong?" Ginny asked, picking up on Remus' anxiety. He placed his hand on her shoulder.

"We may want to sit down," he said calmly. Harry inched out of the way to be sure no one would walk into him. He watched silently as Ginny plopped unceremoniously onto the ground. Katrina, Neville and Remus followed suit. Draco leaned against a tree, his arms folded across his chest and one foot propped up against the trunk.

"Ok, just tell me," she said, her face worried. "Is it my parents? Or one of my brothers?" Remus shook his head.

"No, no, nothing like that, don't worry," he assured her. Her expression cleared considerably. "It's actually about Harry," Remus continued. The other four regarded him, confused.

"About Harry?" Draco asked. "What else could possibly go wrong there?" Remus checked his smile. He paused for several seconds, not sure how to word the message.

"Harry's alive," Remus said. Neville and Draco went white, Katrina gasped, and Ginny jumped to her feet.

"That's not funny!" She yelled. "How dare you come here and say something like that. He's dead, we saw him die!" Remus held up his hands.

"Please, Ginny, calm down. How do you think I knew where to find you?" Ginny blanched.

"But… really? He's truly still alive?" She whispered. Remus nodded.

"Come out, Harry." Slowly, Harry pulled off the cloak and became visible to his friends. Everyone gasped, but Harry had eyes only for Ginny. She seemed rooted to the spot for several seconds before rushing forward and throwing her arms around him.

"Harry?" She whispered. He looked down at her and was surprised to see her hand come up and smack him hard in the arm. "Don't EVER do that to me again!" She shouted. Then, she collapsed into his arms and started sobbing. He hugged her tightly. Her tears were already soaking his shirt.

Neville came around and patted him on the shoulder. Harry grinned at him.

"Good to see you back on your feet," he said. Neville smiled.

"And you. Ginny's right; don't ever do that again!" Harry shook his head.

"Don't worry, I don't plan to." He glanced at Draco and Katrina, who both smiled weakly. Ginny finally let go of him and Katrina gave him a quick hug, while Draco simply shook his hand.

"It's, uh, it's good to have you back, Potter," he said gruffly, clearing his throat. Katrina and Ginny both giggled, and Draco glared at them. Harry glanced between them.

"What's so funny?" He asked.

"Nothing!" Draco snapped, giving both girls a look that would stun a dragon. They giggled again, but said nothing. Harry shrugged.

"Where are Ron, Hermione, and Luna?" He asked.

"We split up," Ginny explained. "We thought it would help us find – _it_ – faster," she said, glancing at Lupin. "They found it, Harry. Hermione just sent me a message saying to meet her back at the Burrow."

"Why the Burrow?" Harry asked. "Why not Headquarters?"

"We couldn't get to it," Neville told him. " You were the Secret Keeper, and you were, well, we thought you were dead, and when we tried to go there, it was gone." Harry was confused.

"If I wasn't dead, then why couldn't you get in?" He glanced at Lupin, who shrugged.

"I don't know," he replied. "All I know is no one can come back from the dead. If you're here and alive now, then you were never dead. Perhaps because your friends _thought_ you were dead, it blocked them out? The Fidelius charm works in funny ways." Harry nodded. Looking down, he reached out and took Ginny's hand.

"Well, let's get to the Burrow then," he said. Luna reached for Neville's hand, but as she did, a loud growling sound came through the trees. Lupin seemed to tense.

"Is it- it's not the full moon, is it?" Lupin shook his head.

"Not for another week," he said. As he said this, several people came through the trees. They all reminded Harry of Fenrir Greyback; human, but with distinctly wolfish characteristics.

"Lupin," one of them hissed. "What are you doing here?"


	4. Percy's New Law

A/N: Thanks to everyone for reading! I want to thank everyone who read and reviewed Prophecy Fulfilled as well. I haven't taken the time to do that since I started the revisions, mostly because I've been trying so hard to get it finished before HP&DH. Since there's only 5 days left before DH is released, I'm beginning to recognize possible defeat. Either way, I will finish. I've worked too hard and too long on this story to be able to just abandon it. I already have everything planned out anyway! I understand most people wont be as interested in reading this once DH comes out, and that's perfectly fine. I'll mostly be finishing it for myself, to prove that I can finish something (other than a songfic). SO to everyone who has stuck with me these past two years (has it really been that long?), thank you! Thank you for the feedback and the support that has helped me get to where I am now, even if I'm a ways from the end still!

For Prophecy:  
**Brie**- Thank you for reviewing, but would you mind elaborating? It would help me tremendously. I appreciate the honesty and the constructive criticism!  
**Verdad-y-Vida**- I didn't mean to make Ginny sound whiny. She's actually my second favorite character of all the books. I don't think she'll be going along in the real version of Book7, but in my version I wanted her there. That's all I can say. I can't see Harry letting her come along without putting up a fight, and I can't see Ginny, as strong as she is, staying behind without a fight. I just wanted to show that she is stubborn and determined, but I fear she came off sounding like a 5 year old. Although, I meant to make her sound childish over the Fleur issue, because that's how I view Ginny's attitude on that subject :)  
**David305**- Thanks for that. I always make stupid little mistakes like that! It's fixed now, though. Btw, are you the David408 from the writer's block?  
**me!!!!!!!-** Read my reply above to verdad concerning Ginny. Again, I don't see her coming in Deathly Hallows, but this isn't Deathly Hallows, this is Prophecy Fulfilled/Order Rising. Like I said above, I didn't mean to make her sound whiny, just stubborn because that is how I view Ginny, and I like that about her. Harry still has resolve, but he recognizes which battles are important to fight and which ones he needs to let go of. To him, stopping Voldemort is more important than making Ginny stay at home. He also realizes (sorry if I wasn't too clear on this) that he coddles Ginny too much, and often doesn't recognize her for who she is.   
Neville didn't hear the prophecy. Harry says, "I was the one who was born at the end of July, I was the one whose parents escaped him three times." At these words, Neville figures out that the prophecy could have pertained to him, and Harry confirms this. I'm sorry that you think 6 people is too many. I don't. To me, Harry has never been able to manage without help, and I don't see that changing. But I also wanted each one of them there for a specific reason, which may have come to fruition already or will in a future chapter. And the cupboard conversation was supposed to come out of nowhere, but it was my way of showing that Harry is not alone and that his friends care about him as if he were family. But, honestly, I appreciate the advice and the opinions, I really do.

For Order Rising:

**LordHeaven**- I'm so glad to see you're still reading! Thanks for continuing to review, I appreciate your feedback! I had the idea for the cave under the tree for awhile and I put the treasure in because I thought it would be a good cover for the cup. Then, I had the idea for the golden crowns and all of that. I've actually never seen Indiana Jones, and afterwards, when I saw the cover for DH, I laughed at the fact that it went along with mine.

Again, thanks to _everyone_ for reading, even if you don't review. And thanks to all my reviewers, especially. I'm working double time with these chapters, writing every second that I can, though it seem impossible at the moment that I will finish by Friday! Well, we'll see! Here is chapter four! 

**Chapter Four: Percy's Law of Non-Discrimination Against Werewolves**

"What are they talking about?" Harry whispered. Remus shook his head.

"What are _you_ doing here?" He demanded of the other werewolves. "The full moon isn't for a week yet."

"We were sent here by Fenrir to guard this forest," the same one spoke. Harry could tell that this one was the leader.

"Do you always listen to Fenrir, Morgum?" Lupin shot back. "Is he your master now?" Morgum growled again.

"Fenrir has always been good to us. He helped us when wizards would not!"

"He made you this way! He's responsible for your condition!" Lupin shouted. "And yet you swear allegiance to him?" Morgum did not reply.

"Fenrir could not help himself when he bit me," he said stubbornly. "The same way I cannot help whomever I bite when I am transformed." Lupin laughed sardonically.

"Is that the sob story he gave you?" He demanded. Morgum twitched slightly. "Because I'll tell you what he said to me last June at Hogwarts. He laughed in my face after I condemned him for biting a human when he wasn't transformed. He remembered biting me, Morgum. He remembered biting you, too. He told me he keeps a list of those he wants to bite and crosses them off when he's completed that!"

"I do not believe you," Morgum snapped roughly. "Fenrir is our friend."

"Fenrir is no one's friend but his own." Lupin reached into his pocket and pulled out a scroll of parchment, unrolling it. "Would you like to know who your _real_ friends are?" He cleared his throat and read:

_By order of Percy Ignatius Weasley, Junior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic, under new law all anti-werewolf legislation is hereby dissolved. Safe houses will be erected around the country for werewolves to use once a month when they transform. Wolfsbane Potion will be readily available, paid for by the Ministry, for any and all werewolves who seek to use it._

_Any laws targeting werewolves as a specific breed are considered null and void. Any employers who discriminate against a werewolf will be fined 500 galleons for each offense. This law will take immediate effect today, the 12__th__ of September 1997._

_Signed,_

_Percy Ignatius Weasley, Junior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic_

_Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Special Advisor to the Minister of Magic_

Remus calmly rolled the parchment and stuck it back in his pocket, allowing the words to sink in for everyone. Harry couldn't help it; he grinned. Morgum was silent for a moment.

"If this is a trick, Lupin," he growled, but Remus held up his hand.

"What kind of werewolf would I be if I played that sort of trick?" He demanded angrily. "This piece of legislation means as much to me as it does to you!" Morgum hesitated, and then stepped forward.

"And what do you propose we do about Fenrir?" He asked. Remus smiled.

"Fenrir's power lies with Voldemort's reign." Several of them flinched. "We must stop Voldemort." Morgum nodded, and then held out his hand. Lupin shook it.

"Tell us what you need us to do."

Half an hour later, Harry and his friends arrived back at the Burrow, using the coins to forewarn Hermione of their arrival. Remus had excused himself to work out a plan with Morgum and the other werewolves.

Harry was anxious to see his best friends, and to be sure that Luna was not blaming herself for "killing" him. He was also anxious to see the horcrux that they had found.

Ginny had explained about the locket and how they had destroyed it. Harry was very proud of them for figuring that out on their own, and he was deeply touched by their loyalty, especially Luna's, for continuing to put themselves in danger for him.

Hermione opened the back door to the Burrow. When she saw Harry, her face went white.

"H-Harry?" She stuttered. He smiled gently and touched her arm.

"It's really me, Hermione. I'm not dead." She threw her arms around his shoulders and hugged the breath out of him.

"Oh, oh my goodness! I can't believe it! How did you-" She turned around. "Ron! Luna!" She shouted. "It's true, he's really here!" Ron came to the door, grinning from ear to ear.

"Hey, mate," he said. He gave Harry a quick hug. "Mum told us, but we didn't believe her. She got a bit frustrated and finally just said we would see for ourselves when you got here." They hurried inside. Mrs. Weasley gave Harry a fierce hug.

"I'm sorry I scared you earlier," he said into her shoulder, his voice muffled. She released him and smiled.

"Don't worry about it," she said. "I'm just happy you're alive." She turned around and gestured at the table. "Sit down, all of you. You're going to eat a decent meal before you run off again." They all sat, except for Harry and Luna, who peeked at Harry from behind Mrs. Weasley, looking apprehensive.

"Hi Harry," she whispered. Harry smiled gently.

"It's all right, Luna," he assured her. "I'm just fine, no harm done." With a hearty sniff, she rushed forward and threw her arms around his waist.

"I'm so sorry!" She wailed. "I really didn't mean to kill you!" Harry chuckled.

"You didn't kill me, Luna. I'm not dead." She nodded as they sat down.

"How are you not dead, though?" She wondered. "I performed the killing curse, or, at least, he performed it through me. It's supposed to be unavoidable and unblockable." Draco raised a hand.

"I think I can answer that, if Hermione would consent to help me." Hermione nodded.

"Well, you see," she began, "Draco's friend couldn't help us with Neville's condition. But he did teach us something useful, something he's been working on for awhile now. Something he worked on with _your_ mother, Luna." Luna stared at her.

"What? Who was it?" Draco shook his head.

"We can't tell you that." He looked at Harry. "Your mother developed it." Harry dropped his goblet onto the table, spilling his butterbeer. Hermione pulled out her wand and silently cleaned it up. Harry ignored this and looked straight at Draco.

"What are you talking about?"

"A long time ago, she figured out a way that the killing curse could be stopped, or blocked, if you will. See, the killing curse goes straight for your life force. To protect you from it, you would have to surround your life force with a magical shield. This is very dangerous to do. Your mother figured out a way to do it without harming the life force.

"But she was never able to finish her work before she died. Luna's mother continued working on it, but she, too, died before it was perfected. She left all of her work with – with my friend – and he finished it only recently."

"So you're telling me that there _is _a block for _Avada Kedavra_?" Harry asked, dumbfounded. "And that you both know how to perform it?"

"Well, yes and no. See, it's still somewhat temperamental," Hermione explained. "Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. You can't use it on yourself, either, it won't work properly. Only someone else can do it for you, and that person has to care very deeply about you." She blushed as she said this. "Not in a loving sort of way, that is, just in a friendly way." Harry raised an eyebrow as Ron grinned.

"So, Malfoy, that's what you were doing." Harry nearly choked.

"Malfoy? _You _cast the block?" He'd been expecting Hermione to say that she'd done it. He knew Hermione cared about him, but Malfoy?

"Look, let's not make a big deal out of this, all right?" Draco demanded, his face very red. "The point is, the Dark Lord knows nothing of this shield, and that can work to our advantage."

"So, you two need to show us how to do it," Harry said. Draco shook his head.

"That's the thing, we can't. I didn't even really know what I was doing, but I had no other choice in the matter so I tried it anyway. It's not really something you can practice, obviously, because who would be willing to be the guinea pig?" Harry nodded. That much made sense.

"So, is there an incantation, at least? Or is it nonverbal?" Draco nodded.

"There's an incantation, though of course it can be performed non-verbally, just like a normal shield. The difference is you have to be thinking as hard as you can about how much you care for that person." He flushed as he said this, glaring at Ginny and Katrina, who were giggling again. "Obviously, for this reason, you cannot cast it on yourself." Harry nodded.

"So, what's the incantation?" He asked. "I know we can't practice it, but I think it would be best if we all at least knew what it was." Draco nodded.

"Right, and I'll teach you all how to say it properly. We'll do it without wands, though. If one of us were to accidentally cast it at someone else, you could really hurt them." Mrs. Weasley bustled over with a plate of sandwiches just then.

"You all look incredibly peaky," she complained. "What exactly have you been doing with yourselves?" She noticed the cut on Hermione head. "Hermione, what happened to your head?" Hermione blushed.

"Just an accident, Mrs. Weasley. I'm perfectly fine now," she assured her.

"Well, I hope you're at least being cautious," Mrs. Weasley muttered. "I still don't like the idea of any of you out there, risking your lives-" Ron and Ginny both gave her murderous looks- "but I know there's no stopping you, so I'll get over it.

They finished their sandwiches in silence, eating as quickly as possible. Harry wanted to find the tiara horcrux as soon as possible, but now he was very unsure where it might be. After they finished eating, Draco suggested that they go into the living room and he could teach them the incantation for the _Avada Kedavra_ shield. Harry nodded.

"Good idea. And then we can discuss where to go next." As everyone moved from the kitchen to the living room, Harry reached out and grabbed Ginny's arm.

"I, uh – could I talk to you?" She nodded, looking bewildered. Harry watched her for a moment, at a loss for words. Was he crazy? What was he supposed to say to her? _Ginny, I'm an idiot_. Well, that would be a good start.

Harry didn't know what to say. He wasn't even sure what the right thing was to do. He knew one thing: when he had awoken at the Burrow to find himself very much alive, only one person came to his mind. Ginny.

He had almost lost her, and now she had almost lost him. Whether or not that meant as much to her as it had to him, he wasn't sure, but he didn't care. He had to get this off of his chest.

_But you promised to protect her._

I can still protect her!

_What if Voldemort finds out?_

He can't get to her if she's with me!

_He almost got to her before. If Neville hadn't saved her…_

"Just shut up," Harry told his conscience stubbornly. Ginny raised an eyebrow at him.

"I haven't said anything," she reminded him, looking scared for his sanity. Shaking his head, Harry smiled slightly.

"Ginny, I-"

_Selfish! You only care about yourself!_

I care about her, too! She _wants_ to be with me!

_If you cared about her, you would keep her safe._

"I deserve to be happy!" Harry said loudly. Ginny's eyes were wide and somewhat fearful.

"Harry, do you need to see a healer?" She asked delicately. Harry shook his head firmly, his jaw set resolutely.

"I deserve to be happy," he repeated, this time talking to Ginny. She nodded.

"Of course you do." She patted his arm. When she pulled her hand away, he reached out and caught it in his own.

"And so do you." He blushed ever so slightly and looked at his feet before looking back up at the girl – young woman – that he loved.

"Harry, what is this about?" Ginny demanded. Harry took her other hand.

"Ginny, I can't do this anymore. I can't-" he paused, searching for the words. Yanking her hands away, Ginny glared at him.

"Look, Harry, if you want to tell me to get lost, just say it!" Harry stared at her in astonishment. She couldn't possibly think that!

"Ginny, the happiest I have _ever_ felt in my _life_ was when I was with you. I spent last year fighting my feelings for you because I didn't want anyone to get hurt. That and I didn't want to betray Ron."

"But Ron is perfectly fine with us." Harry grinned.

"My irrational mind did not believe that at the time. I was afraid he would punch me if I told him how I felt about you." Ginny giggled quietly.

"I would have punched him if he had." She looked up at him, suddenly serious. "Harry, what are you trying to say?" He sighed, then took a deep breath.

"I'm trying to say that I'm tired of holding back. I'm tired of allowing Voldemort to make my life miserable." He took her hands again. "Ginny, I almost _died_. And do you know what the only thing I could think about was?" She shook her head.

"No," she whispered.

"All I could think about was how I never got to tell you how I really feel." Her eyes were shining.

"Harry," she began, but he stopped her.

"I just want you to know, Ginny, that no matter what happens, I'm always with you, right here." He placed his hand over her heart. "And no matter what happens, I – I love you."

She was silent for several seconds. The lack of sound was so deafening that it hurt Harry's ears. Tears slid from her deep brown eyes, to the end of her nose, over her cheeks, connecting the freckles in odd patterns. One other time in his life, Harry had been fascinated by a pattern of freckles on a girl's face. But those freckles had not fascinated him near as much as the ones he was studying now, and that girl had not provoked the same gut-wrenching, heart-pounding love he felt right now.

"Oh, Harry," Ginny whispered finally, before leaning up and kissing him. "I love you, too."

"Oi!" Ron's voice broke them apart sufficiently. "What the bloody hell…?"

"Ron," Hermione appeared behind him, taking him gently by the arm. "Come on; let's go into the living room." When they were gone, Harry and Ginny looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"Leave it to my brother, eh?" Ginny joked. Harry grinned.

"He is the biggest mood killer." Ginny laughed again. Wrapping her arms tightly around Harry's waist, she laid her head against his chest. Harry folded her into his arms and they stood there for several seconds, a comfortable silence enveloping them.

"Harry?" Ginny whispered. "Are you sure about this?" She pulled back and looked down at her feet. "I just don't want you to do this only for me. I can survive until after You-Know-Who-" Harry stopped her with a quick kiss.

"I'm sure," he replied firmly. He didn't want to tell Ginny what he'd been thinking all along – that there might not _be_ an "after Voldemort". He was beginning to understand that his destiny might include the end of his life. And if that was true, then he was going to enjoy the little bit of life he had left… and take down Voldemort with him.

A few minutes later, Harry settled himself on the coach next to Hermione. Ron, who was on Hermione's other side, gave Harry a half-curious, half-exasperated look. Harry smiled and mouthed, "I'll talk to you later." Ron nodded and looked away.

Turning to the group, Harry sighed.

"All right, we have another horcrux to find. The tiara was supposed to be in the woods, but the cup was there instead." Hermione pulled out the Hufflepuff cup, which she had wrapped tightly in her cloak.

"But I thought the tiara was the last one he made before he came after you," Draco said, bewildered. Harry nodded.

"It had to have been. Dorcas Meadowes was killed less than a week before he came after my family. He wouldn't have had time to make another one." Katrina gave him an odd look.

"Did you just say Dorcas Meadowes?" Harry nodded, suddenly remembering what Dumbledore had told him about the woman.

"Yes," he replied quietly. "She was your aunt." Katrina looked away.

"She was like a surrogate mother. My mum and I weren't very close. Aunt Dorcas was my best friend until I went to Hogwarts." Her eyes began to shine and her nose grew red. Ginny patted her arm gently.

"She was a hero," Ginny assured her. "She was the one who discovered that You-Know-Who had something hidden in Albania." Katrina nodded.

"Dumbledore told me. I just hope I can do as much for the Order as she did." Harry smiled.

"You already have," he said, and Katrina smiled back.

"Thanks, Harry." She cleared her throat. "So, the tiara was not in Albania. Yet it was the last horcrux he made, and he was drawn to Albania after he, well, didn't die." Hermione looked lost in thought.

"What we need to figure out is where the tiara could be, and why he wasn't drawn to it instead," Harry summarized.

"Maybe it wasn't as strong as the cup?" Luna suggested. Hermione shook her head.

"I had to have been stronger. He made the cup into a horcrux a long time ago, around the same time as the locket I assume. He made the tiara into one at least thirty years later. The cup has been separated from his body a _lot_ longer."

"So, we have two possibilities," Harry said. "First possibility, though not probable, is that someone – either Regulus or someone else who found out about the horcruxes – has already destroyed the tiara. I doubt anyone else knows about them, and R.A.B. didn't seem to realize that the locket wasn't the only horcrux. He also seemed pretty sure that he would die soon, so doubt he would have had to find it." They all nodded in agreement.

"What's the second possibility?" Ron asked.

"The tiara is somewhere that Voldemort could not get to when he attacked me."

"What do you mean?" Katrina broke in. Hermione smiled knowingly.

"He means that the tiara was in a protected place. Somewhere that whatever was left of Voldemort could not be transported to."

"Somewhere guarded by magic," Katrina said, catching on. Ginny cocked her head to the side.

"Where do we know that's guarded by magic that strong, to keep someone from a piece of their own soul?" Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"I can only think of one place." Harry nodded.

"Hogwarts."


	5. Down to the Wire

Chapter Five: Down to the Wire

"Are you honestly going to stand there and tell me that you think there is a horcrux at Hogwarts, and that Dumbledore, the wisest and most powerful wizard who ever lived, knew _nothing_ about it?" Ginny stared at him skeptically. Harry rolled his eyes.

"Yes, Dumbledore was the wisest and most powerful wizard ever, but he didn't know _everything_. Voldemort must have hid it here when he was still in school," he replied.

"But he didn't have the tiara when he was still in school," Katrina protested. "My aunt told me it was stolen sometime after I started Hogwarts. That was long after Voldemort left."

"So how could he possibly have managed to hide it there?" Ginny wanted to know. Harry thought about it for a moment.

"I've got it!" He exclaimed. "Remember, one of the memories Dumbledore showed me was of Voldemort coming to Hogwarts to ask him for a job. That was around the time our parents were here. What if, while Voldemort was meeting with Dumbledore, one of his companions that day snuck in and hid it somewhere? Or he could have had a student do it." Ginny shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Harry, but that just doesn't make much sense. It's very unlikely that Voldemort could have snuck something like that in here without Dumbledore knowing about it." Harry sighed.

"I know, but it's a possibility. And it's the best we've got."

"Well, I don't think it would hurt to check, either," Hermione said. "What if we walked away and it turns out to be there?"

"Fine, I suppose." Ginny nodded, thought she didn't seem happy about it. Luna caught Harry's eye and gave him a small smile. Harry returned it and turned to Ron and Neville.

"I need you to stay here and speak with Lupin as soon as you can. I need an update on the werewolves; I think I know the best way to use them. I also need to know if he found Maria, and what happened with Luna's dad." Ron nodded, looking a bit disappointed. "If we find the tiara, we'll contact you."

"I'll stay with him," Luna volunteered. Harry nodded.

"Me, too," Ginny chimed in, sliding her arm through Luna's.

"I'll need to get back to the Ministry," Katrina said. "Kingsley and I have to organize the Aurors as back up for you." Harry's eyes widened.

"For me?" He asked. She nodded.

"Well, they don't know what they're being organized _for_, exactly. But Kingsley and I decided it was best to have them on their toes and ready, in case they were needed. Moody and Minerva are working on having the Order ready to go." Harry nodded.

"Okay, so Ron, Luna, Neville, and Ginny are going to the Burrow. Hermione, Draco, and I will go to Hogwarts and look for the tiara," Harry summed.

"Before we go, we need to decide how and when we're going to destroy that cup," Hermione said quickly. Harry nodded.

"I've been thinking about that, and I've wondered if maybe the answer isn't in one of Dumbledore's memories. He mentioned that the memory of him acquiring the ring from the Gaunt's house was included. I'm thinking that it might show how to destroy a horcrux without the danger of drawing the bit of soul out." Hermione nodded, looking pensive again.

"You know, you're probably right. We'll go to Hogwart's first, and that way if we find the tiara we can destroy them both at the same time." Harry smiled.

"Good idea." He looked at Ron. "Be careful, okay? If anything suspicious happens, get your mum and dad and head for Grimmauld Place. As soon as you talk to Remus, contact us and you can join us either there or at headquarters if we've already found it." Ron nodded.

"You be careful, too. That's the third horcrux to be destroyed, there's always the possibility that Voldemort is starting to feel it now." Harry grimaced.

"Let's hope we haven't come to that point yet." He looked to Hermione and Draco. "Ready?" He asked. They both nodded, looking anxious and grim.

They appeared on the streets of Hogsmeade, which were just beginning to catch a blanket of snow. Harry couldn't believe that so much time had passed.

They waited less than ten minutes before the owl reappeared, carrying a reply. Harry thanked the man and they left the post, setting off up the lane toward the school.

McGonagall was waiting for them at the gate.

"Good evening, Professor," Harry greeted her politely. She smiled thinly.

"Good evening, Mr. Potter. What brings you back here? Surely not the library again?" Harry smiled and shook his head. She escorted them across the grounds and up the front steps.

"I can't really say, but we're going to need a room if you can spare one." She nodded.

"They're always available for you, Mr. Potter." She opened the castle doors and led them inside. "If you would like to speak with Albus again, you need only let me know."

"Thank you very much, professor." She led them toward the North Tower, where they found several guest chambers. McGonagall let them inside and left.

Harry sat on the bed and put his head in his hands. "Where would it be hidden then?" he said aloud to no one in particular.

"The Chamber of Secrets?" Hermione suggested. Harry shook his head.

"I don't think so," he replied. "Besides, we left that place in a heap, and if we go down there, I can't think how we will get back up, unless we take brooms or something..." he trailed off.

"Maybe it's in the dungeons somewhere? Like the potions room? I mean, the Dark Lord and Slughorn were pals weren't they?" Draco wondered. Hermione shook her head.

"No way would Slughorn let Voldemort hide a horcrux in this castle, let alone in his own quarters. He was terrified of Dumbledore." Harry nodded.

"I agree. No, I think it would have to be somewhere that could be really secret, a room that no one else knows about."

"But Dumbledore knew about every room in this castle, didn't he?" Harry leaned back on his palms as he pondered her question. Dumbledore's words from the Yule Ball came floating over him. "_Even I don't presume to know all of this castle's secrets. Why, just the other morning I took a wrong turn on the way to the boys' room and found myself in a room filled with the most beautiful collection of chamber pots."_

"No, he didn't, he said so himself-" Harry broke off as a realization hit him. "Oh," he breathed.

"What, what is it?" Hermione demanded.

"Why didn't we think of it before?" Harry asked. "Hermione, this castle probably _doesn't_ have any rooms that Dumbledore didn't know about. So, if you can't _find_ a room already here, then what do you do?" Hermione wrinkled her brow.

"I don't know," she replied. Harry laughed.

"I don't hear that very often," he teased, and she glared at him.

"Oh, shut up and get on with it," she snapped. He grinned.

"Come on, if one doesn't already exist, then you have to _create_ one. And what's the only place in this castle where you can _create_ a room to serve any purpose you need?" Hermione's face lit up.

"The Room of Requirement!" She whispered excitedly. "You don't really think?"

"I do. It's perfect! Unless you know exactly what Voldemort hid in there, you wouldn't be able to get to it. And it's so simple that you wouldn't even think of it!" Draco stood up.

"Let's go look, then," he said anxiously. Harry nodded and stood, too. They disappeared under their cloaks and left the room.

Harry led the way down the corridors and up the stairs to the seventh floor. Once they reached the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, Harry stopped.

"Okay," he whispered. "We need to find the room where Voldemort hid the tiara." Hermione lifted her cloak off of her head and smiled at him, then disappeared again. Harry began to pace back and forth. _I need to see where Voldemort hid the tiara._ He repeated this over and over. After he'd walked past the wall three times, he turned and looked at it.

Nothing.

"Oh, come on!" Harry growled in frustration. He began walking again. _I need to find Voldemort's horcrux. I need to see the room where the Ravenclaw tiara is hidden. Show me the place where Voldemort hid his tiara horcrux. _

Still nothing.

"Not this again," Harry groaned. He pulled off his cloak. Draco and Hermione followed suit. "Why isn't it working?" Hermione sighed.

"Maybe we're not looking for the right thing," she suggested. "Or maybe it's not there." Harry glared at her.

"It's there, I know it is. It has to be." Draco was watching Harry.

"What did you mean, 'not this again'?" He asked. Harry began pacing again, still trying as many variants of the command as he could think of. Draco rolled his eyes and stepped right in Harry's path. "What did you mean?" He demanded. Harry sighed.

"Last year, when you were, you know, helping Voldemort-" Draco winced- "I knew you were up to something, and I figured out that it had something to do with this room, so I came up here a bunch of times and tried to get in there to see what you were doing, but it would never let me in." Draco stared at him.

"How did you know I was in there?" He sounded surprised. Harry shrugged.

"It's a long story but my house elf and your old house elf sort of tailed you and told me where you were going." Draco seemed impressed.

"What did you say to it?" He wanted to know. Harry shrugged.

"I don't know, something about that I needed to see what you were doing in there, I can't really remember." Draco put his hand to his chin, looking thoughtful.

"Well, maybe you need to know what the person was using the room for." Harry rolled his eyes.

"I do," he snapped irritably. "He used it to hide his horcrux. Yet this still isn't working." Draco shook his head.

"Yes, but the room doesn't know who's in there or what they're hiding. I'm sure he didn't come up to it and say, 'My name is Voldemort and I need a place to hide this tiara'." Harry crossed his arms.

"Then what _did_ he say, oh smart one?"

"Probably the same thing I did, that he just need a room to hide something in."

"What difference does it make whether he specified the item or not?" Harry demanded. Draco sighed and paced in front of the wall three times. After his third walk past, a door appeared in the wall.

"How did you do that?" Hermione squealed. Draco opened the door and the filed inside.

"I just told it that I needed a place to hide something," he replied simply. Harry stepped inside behind them.

"And you really think it will be in here?" He said scornfully. Draco shook his head and chose not to reply. Harry, however, was beginning to recognize the room they were standing in. The towering piles of abandoned belongings jogged his memory. "I've been in here," he said in a hushed voice. Draco was nodding.

"So have I." He looked at Harry. "When were you in here? I thought you said you could never get in to find me?" Harry gaped at him.

"You were in _here_?" Draco nodded. "This is where I hid my potions book from Snape last year, after you and I fought in the bathroom."

"You mean after you tried to kill me," Draco said dryly. Harry glared at him.

"I didn't mean it! I didn't know what that spell did. Snape's the one who invented it, why don't you blame him?" Draco looked confused.

"_What_ are you talking about?" Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Ok, this little conversation is going to have to wait. We have to find out if the tiara is in here. Harry, you go that way, Draco, you go that way. I'll head this way. Search _everywhere_. Don't pass anything over, and if you find anything, send up red sparks." The boys nodded sheepishly and split up.

Harry walked up the path that Hermione had pointed to. Piles of desecrated library books, broken quills, torn parchment, and fanged Frisbees towered over him, casting shadows over everything. It was actually a bit spooky. He thought briefly of his Half-Blood Prince book, but couldn't seem to remember which way he'd gone when he had entered this room to hide it.

He passed the broken vanishing cabinet, which was stacked high with more books and banned items. Sighing, he continued walking.

A good ten minutes later, he found himself facing a dead end.

"How big _is _this room?" He asked out loud. Turning back, he found that there was an opening between two piles that led off to the right. Harry shivered, thinking of the last time he had been in a maze.

"Don't think about that," he whispered firmly to himself. "Just get the horcrux, and then you can avenge Cedric for good." Nodding to solidify his own resolution, he squeezed through the books and headed off down the other path.

He checked several broken cabinets, but found nothing. Suddenly, a high-pitched scream sliced through the air. Harry froze.

"Hermione?" He hollered. No answer. He looked to the ceiling, but no red sparks went up. "Hermione!" Harry yelled again. When she didn't answer, he took off running down his path. He took another right turn and headed back the way he'd come, running so fast that his legs were already starting to seize up.

"Draco!" He yelled. Still no answer. He came out to where they had started and turned in the direction Hermione had gone. "Draco!" He hollered again, just as Draco came running out from behind a pile, smashing into Harry and knocking them both to the ground.

"Sorry!" He panted, pulling Harry to his feet.

"It's fine," Harry replied shortly. "Come on!" They ran down the middle path that Hermione had taken. Harry's eyes swept the area frantically.

"Hermione!" Draco called, barely getting the word out between puffs of air. A very faint sound caught Harry's ear, and he threw out his arm, catching Draco hard in the chest. Draco nearly fell over and glared at him. "What-"

"Shh!" Harry snapped. "Hermione?" He called. Again, a very faint call could just barely be heard.

"Help!" Harry almost missed it. He turned to the left and saw a tiny opening, which he squeezed himself through. Draco followed.

"Hermione!" Harry called again. He heard her reply, slightly louder this time.

"Harry! Help!" Running in that direction, Harry turned a corner and saw what had obviously been a landslide of junk. Throwing himself to his knees, he began to burrow through everything frantically. Draco fell down beside him and did the same. They threw everything aside, knocking down other piles so that the deafening sound of everything coming crashing down filled the cavernous room.

A book fell from somewhere above Harry, nearly knocking him out, but Draco pulled him out of the way just in time. Suddenly, Harry saw a hand moving under the pile. Grabbing it, he pulled with all of his might.

Hermione's head appeared, and Draco reached forward and grabbed her other hand. Together, Harry and Draco dragged her out from under the pile. Her eyelids fluttered. Her head was bleeding.

"Hermione?" Harry whispered. He pulled her onto his lap. Draco pulled his regular cloak off and used it to apply pressure to her bleeding wound. She slowly opened her eyes.

"H-Harry?" She murmured. He nodded. Her eyes closed and Harry shook her frantically.

"Hermione, wake up! I need you to stay with me." Her eyes opened to slits. "What happened?" She mumbled something inaudible. "What? Louder, Hermione, please," he pleaded. He felt her take a deep breath.

"Cabinet… opened door… everything fell…" she trailed off, her eyes slipping closed again. Harry waded through the pile to the cabinet she had tried to open. The door was cracked slightly. Pulling the door open the rest of the way, Harry's eyes fell on something he had not expected to see again.

_Advanced Potion Making_. The title screamed at him. Next to the book, however, was what caught his attention. The ugly bust with the wig… and the tiara he had perched on its head to distinguish it. Awed, he reached out and picked it up.

"Is- is that it?" Draco asked. Harry nodded.

"I can't believe it. I had this in my hand last year and I didn't know what it was." Draco raised an eyebrow.

"Come again?" Harry explained how he had hidden his book and used the wig and tiara to make the bust stand out so that he could find the book.

"But after Snape killed Dumbledore I didn't want to come back for the book. I can't believe I had this in my hand!" Draco nodded.

"Look, that's great, Potter, but we really need to get Hermione some medical help." Snapping out of his stupor, Harry pocketed the tiara and gathered Hermione in his arms. She was relatively light.

"Come on," he said to Draco, who followed. Wending his way back through the piles, Harry picked his way over fallen stacks. Their attempts to dig Hermione out had caused a domino effect. Piles of junk were still falling all over the room.

"We need to hurry," Draco said sharply. Harry nodded and picked up his pace to a jog, the fastest he could go with Hermione's dead weight in his arms. Books were beginning to rain down on them. Draco waved his wand and created an umbrella-like shield over there heads that the items bounced noisily off of as they ran for the door.

Reaching it, Draco wrenched it open, and Harry fell through to the corridor on the other side. Draco slammed the door shut and the noise of the collapsing room stopped.

"Let's get her to Pomfrey," Draco suggested, and Harry nodded. They raced down the corridor toward the hospital wing.

"I can't think what you boys would be doing in here," Madame Pomfrey snapped ten minutes later as they settled Hermione into a bed. She bustled off and returned with a bottle. As she worked on the wound, she alternately glared at Harry and Draco. "Always something dangerous with you two, isn't it? You've been here all of a couple of hours and already someone is hurt!" Harry chose not to reply and waited anxiously while she tended to Hermione and Draco sent a message to the others via the coins.

Once the nurse had left the room, Harry and Draco pulled chairs up to the bed and sat. Harry pulled the tiara out of his pocket and examined it in the dim light of the hospital wing. Draco leaned back in his chair and frowned.

"That was too easy," he remarked. "Hermione's description of the cup's protections was pretty brutal. There was nothing holding us back from this. Anyone could have gone in there and picked it up." Harry twirled the tiara around his fingers.

"I know. But I was thinking to myself, what if Voldemort didn't hide this here?" Draco raised an eyebrow.

"Go on," he prompted. Harry leaned forward on his elbows.

"Okay, Voldemort gave the diary to your dad for safe-keeping, right? What if gave the tiara to someone, too? It's unlikely, but it's a possibility. Let's say it was a student here. He used you as a student, who's to say you were the first?" Draco shrugged, looking curious. "So what if he had a student here, who was a Death Eater, that was supposed to be holding onto it, maybe even looking for a place to hide it? But then Voldemort attacked me and disappeared, and the kid panicked and hid it in here so he wouldn't be caught with it?" Draco scratched his chin.

"I don't know. Do you really think he would leave a horcrux with a student? That's a lot more important than what I was doing last year." Harry shrugged.

"I can't think of how else it would get in the castle without Dumbledore knowing." He slid the tiara back into his pocket. "Either way, we have it and now we can go destroy it _and_ the cup." Draco nodded.

"And then that's it, right?" Harry shook his head.

"Nagini, Voldemort's snake." Draco stared at him.

"She's a horcrux? Are you sure?" Harry shrugged.

"No, but Dumbledore thought the connection between the two to be extremely odd. And he's been right so far. The diary and the ring, the locket, the cup, and something that belonged to either Gryffindor or Ravenclaw. Nagini is the final horcrux, and then Voldemort's body still houses the seventh piece of soul. Or, what would have been the seventh piece, had he managed to make all six horcruxes before he disappeared."

"So, what do we do once we've destroyed the cup and the tiara? You'll never get to Nagini; she's at the Dark Lord's side every second." Harry nodded.

"I know. Which is why I've been developing a plan."

A few hours later, a soft knock sounded on the door to the ward. Harry quickly opened it before Madam Pomfrey could come out and protest. Ron, Ginny, Luna, and Neville filed in, looking anxious. Ron made a beeline for Hermione's side, dropping into the chair Harry had just vacated and clutching at her hand awkwardly. Harry got Draco's attention and motioned for everyone to follow him outside the door.

He closed the door behind him and turned around. Everyone looked extremely apprehensive, and Harry sighed heavily.

"We've got the tiara," he told them, holding it up. "We need to figure out how to destroy these, and then we have to find Voldemort." Neville squeaked and Ginny paled. Draco grasped at the wall for support.

"F-find Voldemort?" He stuttered. Harry nodded.

"Yes. Like you said earlier, we'll never get to Nagini, she's always with Voldemort. So we have to track down Voldemort. She'll be the last horcrux left to destroy, and then we'll be right there, in possession to kill Voldemort." They were all wide-eyed and dead silent. Harry knew that they were, like him, coming to the realization that this was it. They were down to the wire and in a few days at most, they would be facing the last straw, the final showdown that would determine the fate of the entire world.


	6. Order Rising

**A/N:** SO I just realized that I hadn't uploaded all of the chapters that I'd wrriten for this story to this site. They've all been posted on The Writers Block for awhile now but I guess I hadn't added them here. Sorry for those of you who'd been following this here!

I know it's been probably a year since I've updated this story. I've gone back through it and re-read it a few times looking for inspiration but I just keep getting stuck on this one part. But I think I may have figured it out so you may see some new chapters here and on TWB in the next few weeks. Sorry again for the LONG delay and happy reading!!

**Harry Potter and the Order Rising**

**Chapter Six: The Order Rising**

Hermione awoke an hour later. She was disoriented but otherwise perfectly fine. Harry was simply relieved that she was not permanently hurt.

As they pulled chairs up to Hermione's bed, Harry asked Ron what he had learned from Lupin.

"He took them both to Grimmauld Place," Ron told him. His eyes were suspiciously red-rimmed, but he seemed calm now that Hermione was awake. She had vowed to be out of bed and off with them by that evening, but Ron had vetoed this, saying that the destroying of the two Horcruxes could wait until the next day. Everyone unanimously agreed, leaving Hermione no choice but to lean back on her pillows and rest her head.

"Grimmauld Place?" Harry asked incredulously. Ron nodded.

"He's got Mad-Eye there with them, looking after them. Moony said it was the best place for them to keep them out of Voldemort's line of fire."

"Yeah, he's right. I'm just glad they found Maria and that she's okay." The others nodded their agreement.

They sat around Hermione's bed for another half hour, planning how and when they would track down Voldemort. Harry had expected Draco to know the whereabouts of Voldemort's hideout, but Draco was clueless.

"He never told any of us. We always apparate straight in and straight back out. I honestly think there are only two Death Eaters who actually know exactly where it is, and I can't even be sure of that." Harry nodded, though he was immensely frustrated.

"I don't know how else to go about it, other than luring him to us." Hermione's eyes twinkled.

"You mean like a trap?" She asked. Harry nodded.

"Yeah. I think that's our best bet as of right now, unless something else presents itself."

Before anyone could reply, the ward door opened and Katrina came striding in. Her brother, Michael, followed her and stood awkwardly just inside the door as Katrina crossed the room to Harry's side. Glancing over her shoulder and lowering her voice, she leaned toward Harry.

"Do you think we could have a private word?" She whispered. Everyone stared up at her curiously. Ginny shot Michael an indignant glare and he turned slightly red.

"About what?" Katrina shoved a piece of parchment into his hands.

_Dear sis,_

_I know you weren't expecting to hear from me again so soon, but don't worry, nothing is wrong. I need a favor to ask you._

_A couple of my friends and I are desperate to contact Harry Potter. We don't know where to send an owl to and were sure he wouldn't trust it at any rate. But then I remembered you saying that you'd spoken to him in your last letter._

_I would be forever grateful if you could do this for me. I can't divulge the reason for our desperation in case this owl falls into the wrong hands, but suffice it to say that it is important._

_Send an owl back at your earliest convenience._

_Love,_

_Michael_

"He and his friends?" Ginny repeated, reading over his shoulder. "Who are his friends?" Katrina shrugged.

"I don't know, but trust me when I say that my brother would not send this without a good reason. Is there any way you could talk with him?" Harry sighed. He looked at the others, who all shrugged.

"If you think you should," Neville answered his unspoken question. Harry nodded slowly.

"All right," he told Katrina. "I'll hear what he has to say." He followed her to the end of the ward and stepped out into the corridor with Michael. Katrina shut the door behind them, staying in the ward herself.

Once the door was shut, Harry turned to Michael, who twisted his hands nervously. It was at that moment that Harry realized that he had never spoken to Michael personally before, and that the only things they had in common were the D.A. and Ginny.

"What is this about?" He asked.

"I'm here on behalf of the remaining members of Dumbledore's Army," Michael said in a very low voice. Harry was startled.

"Dumbledore's Army was disbanded," he replied. Michael smiled slightly.

"No, it isn't, but we're minus several good members and a leader." Harry shrugged.

"I hope you're not going to ask me to come back and teach the D.A. I don't mean to sound rude but I really don't have the time. I have important things to be doing." Michael shook his head quickly.

"Oh, no. We've been getting on well enough by ourselves, surprisingly. You taught us more than just a few jinxes, you know." Harry nodded, but he was still bewildered. He had no idea where Michael was going with this conversation.

"Right, well, then why did you need to see me?" He asked, tired of beating around the bush. Michael flushed ever so slightly.

"Well, you see, when you didn't come back this year… we're not stupid, we know why. We also decided that with Dumbledore dead, things are a lot more dangerous. So we started meeting again, teaching each other and ourselves, you know? McGonagall doesn't know about this, that's why I asked to speak to you privately." Harry furrowed his brow. He thought he might be catching on, but wasn't sure.

"The only reason we kept the D.A. secret before was because of Umbridge," Harry reasoned. "I'm sure McGonagall would approve of a defense club." Michael shrugged.

"Yes, I'm sure she would. But we aren't just a defense club. Don't you get it, Potter? You said it yourself, two years ago. We're _preparing_." Harry shook his head, finally getting the subtle hints.

"You want to fight." It was a statement, not a question. Michael nodded.

"Exactly. There's not very many of us; less than ten in fact. But we've each been hurt personally by You-Know-Who, and we want to see him stopped." Harry turned away. He wasn't sure how to respond.

His first inclination was that they were too young, but they were all within a year of his own age. His second thought was that they seemed to believe that Harry was just running around fighting Death Eaters left and right, which certainly was not the case. He also knew that they were vastly outnumbered by Voldemort's minions.

He glanced back at Michael, who was watching him with more than a touch of anxiety.

"Who is involved?" He asked. Michael seemed to breathe a visible sigh of relief that Harry had not said no right away.

"Like I said, we're all old D.A. members." He took a deep breath and rattled off some names. "Ernie Macmillan, Susan Bones, Anthony Goldstein, Terry Boot, Lavender Brown, Justin Finch-Fletchley, and Dean Thomas. And me, of course," he added as an afterthought. "We're all that's left; no one else from the D.A. returned this year." Harry was out of ways to stall.

"I- look, I want you to understand that this is a serious matter. Remember what I said in the Hogs Head, about it being a lot of luck? It's not all memorizing hexes and throwing them at him. He's cunning and crafty, and so are his Death Eaters. They don't show mercy, even if you are still technically a kid." Michael nodded.

"We're aware of this. We don't expect it to be like a D.A. lesson. We know the risks." Harry whirled around and stared at him.

"Do you?" He demanded. "Do you really understand the risks of this? They _kill_ people, Michael. You could _die._ _Any_ of you could!" Michael glared at him.

"I know that. I saw what they did to my parents," he shot back. Harry stopped.

"What?"

"I saw. I watched it. He tortured them and then killed them." They locked gazes.

"I'm sorry," Harry said quietly. "I know what that's like." Michael nodded.

"I know you do. That's why I'm here, asking you, because I know you'll understand." He stood up straight and walked over to where Harry was standing. "Please, Harry, give us this chance. We need to be a part of this." Harry looked away.

"I don't know what I can do," he admitted. "I'm not off chasing Death Eaters, you know. In fact, I'm staying away from them as much as possible." Michael stared at him.

"Then what _are_ you doing?" He wanted to know.

"I can't tell you that," Harry replied. "But it does have to do with the downfall of Voldemort, I can promise you that. In fact, his downfall hinges on what I'm doing." Michael nodded, but he still looked dubious.

"If you say so." Harry rolled his eyes.

"Look, either you trust me or you don't, whatever suits you is fine. But the point is that I'm not chasing Voldemort down right now, and what I'm doing you can't really help me with." Michael's face fell.

"Isn't there _anything_ we can do?" He asked. "I mean, you're going to have to seek him out eventually, and he'll have plenty of Death Eaters to back him up. You'll need help. Or what if he finds you?" Harry shrugged.

"If he finds me, I'm screwed, which is why I'm trying to lay low as much as possible. When I am ready to find him, I have back up."

"Six underage wizards do not constitute back-up."

"Neither does thirteen," Harry shot back. "I'm talking about adult wizards dedicated to the cause." Michael leaned against the wall, looking suddenly tired.

"Fine. You don't need us, I can understand that. We would probably get in your way. But I am _begging_ you not to pass us over." He looked up at Harry, his eyes suddenly overcast. "Please give us something, anything."

"I don't know. I'll have to think about it." He rubbed his hands over his eyes. "I just don't know that I can consciously allow you to risk your lives in battle for me." Michael raised an eyebrow.

"Who said we were doing it for you?" Harry stared at him, and then laughed.

"Who are you doing it for then?" He asked.

"We each have our reasons." Harry heaved a great sigh.

"All right then," he replied heavily. "We'll see how things go. If I need help, I'll contact you." He fished one of the fake gold galleons out of this pocket and handed it to Michael, who accepted it with a look of gratitude on his face.

"You promise?" He asked, one eyebrow raised in a hint of suspicion. Harry nodded.

"I swear on Dumbledore himself," he said, and Michael nodded, satisfied. He turned to leave, then stopped, turning back.

"Thanks, Harry. You have no idea what this will mean to them, to me." Harry smiled slightly.

"I think I might."

--

The next morning dawned cold and clear, and Hermione refused to be taken care of any longer. As soon as the sun had reached up over the horizon, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and planted her feet firmly on the ground.

No one, not even Ron, dared to protest. They gathered everything up and, after thanking Madame Pomfrey, they hurried out of the castle before dawn could fully break. They apparated back to Grimmauld Place the second they were outside of its gates.

Harry quickly opened the door and they filed in, exhausted. As Harry shut the door behind them, a loud voice demanded, "Who's there?"

"Dad!" Luna rushed forward and threw her arms around her father, who lowered his wand and hugged her back. Mr. Lovegood looked quite a bit like his daughter, though his hair was not waist-length. His clothes were an odd mismatch of wizard and muggle garments; he looked a bit like what muggles would call a "hippie". His hair reached his shoulders and was blonde and straggly like Luna's, but his eyes were small and beady. He wore several long chains around his neck with various symbols hanging from them, and a feather hung from one ear.

"Harry?" A small voice asked, and Harry spotted Maria coming out from behind Mr. Lovegood, looking somewhat shaken.

"Maria!" Harry exclaimed happily. She smiled and gave him a motherly hug. Ginny and Luna hugged her enthusiastically, and they chattered for a minute as Mr. Lovegood turned to introduce himself to Harry.

"Sam Lovegood," he said in a somewhat high voice that Harry had not quite expected. They shook hands. "It's good to finally meet all of you. Luna speaks of you in such high regard." Harry nodded as Luther moved to shake hands with Ron and Neville. He regarded Draco with a wary look.

"You're Lucius Malfoy's son," he said without preamble, and Draco reddened slightly before nodding. "Luna has said nothing of you; though I'm sure she would not keep company with you if you were not an upstanding lad." Harry and Ron exchanged sardonic looks and Neville sniggered. Draco shot them all a glare.

"Sam has been a wonderful help to me," Maria said with a smile. "I must admit, even with all that Lily told me, I was not quite prepared for this house. Sam has explained many things to me about the wizarding world." Ginny stuffed her knuckles in her mouth and Hermione looked exasperated, but Luna did not notice; she was gazing at her father with something just short of admiration. Harry realized in that moment that no matter how crazy Sam Lovegood's ideas might be, Luna would still idolize him.

"Are you hungry?" Sam asked. "We were just about to whip up some breakfast." Ron nodded eagerly. Hermione rolled her eyes at him and Ginny and Luna giggled.

"We're famished," Harry replied, "but there's something we have to do before breakfast. Do you mind getting started if we join you in a little while?" Maria shook her head, smiling.

"Not at all. We'll meet you down in the kitchen." The two adults headed off down the stairs and Harry gestured for the others to follow him.

Once back in the drawing room, they collapsed on the couch, the floor, or wherever they could find room. Harry, however, stayed on his feet, rummaging through the black bag on the table that sat next to the Pensieve. He was searching for the tiny bottle labeled with "the ring, the Gaunt's house" which he found quickly.

"Do we have to do this _now_?" Ron asked, rubbing his stomach. Harry did not react immediately, but studied the bottle for a moment. He turned to Ron.

"We don't have a lot of time, and the closer we get to Voldemort, the more dangerous this gets. I'd like to do this first, and then we can go eat." Ron sighed and then nodded.

"All right, then," he conceded and Harry turned back to the Pensieve.

The room collectively held their breath as Harry uncorked the tiny bottle and tipped its contents into the stone basin. The silver substance swirled around the basin a few times before coming to rest and twinkling innocently in the dim light of the drawing room. Harry set the bottle carefully on the coffee table and rubbed his hands together.

"All right, then, are we ready?" He asked, trying to keep his voice even. He was hoping upon hope that they did not run across any more of Voldemort's memories. Draco stepped forward and stared into the Pensieve before extending his hand to Hermione, who was closest to him. Hermione took it and turned to Ron, taking his hand. The tips of Ron's ears turned red and he quickly grabbed hands with Ginny, who in turn took Harry's hand, smiling gently at him. Luna slipped her hand into Harry's; she was already holding onto Neville.

With a deep breath, Draco extended one finger and touched the tip of it to the silvery surface. The rushing feeling came, pulling all seven of them down into the basin.

Harry landed on his knees in the grass next to a familiar wooden sign. The words "Little Hangleton" had only just registered with him before he noticed, far down the lane, a wisp of black cloak and a silver beard. The night sky was unnaturally dark, and the odd chilly mist was just beginning to set in.

"Hey," Harry said quickly, getting to his feet. He pointed after Dumbledore. They ran down the lane, following their old Headmaster, who was had just disappeared through the bushes.

Huffing and puffing, Harry reached the bushes and slid through the gap. His friends followed on his heels. Once inside the Gaunt garden, Harry looked around and caught sight of Dumbledore standing on the front step, carefully studying the front door. Harry stopped short and Draco walked right into him.

"Sorry," Draco whispered. Harry shook his head, intently watching Dumbledore. His friends panned out around him, watching silently.

Dumbledore waved his hand once, twice, and then a third time. After the third wave, the door began to emit a faint glow. Sliding his wand out of his robes, Dumbledore traced the outline of the door very slowly, before pointing it at the doorknob, which dissolved. The door creaked open and Dumbledore used his wand tip to push it open just enough to slip inside.

Beckoning the others, Harry followed him into the house. Although the place was terrifyingly creepy, Harry was not remotely scared. It was merely a memory, after all, and nothing here could hurt him. He was not entirely thrilled at the prospect of watching Dumbledore hurt, however.

The inside of the house was even darker than the outside. Harry could just make out the outline of his professor as he crept through the joint living room and kitchen. Harry tiptoed across the dust covered floors, even though he knew he could not make noise.

Suddenly, Dumbledore stopped moving. Harry froze in turn. He expected someone to run into him again, but no one did. Harry held his breath as Dumbledore held both hands up in the air, palms flat and facing outward. He resembled a street performer miming being trapped in a box.

Dumbledore raised his hands in the air and faced his palms upward. Turning around, he held them out again.

After Dumbledore did this two more times, Harry came to the realization that Dumbledore _was_ trapped in an invisible box. The old wizard chuckled to himself, seemingly amused. Harry found the situation terrifying, but Dumbledore merely seemed impressed. Raising his wand once more, he gave it a flick and stepped forward again. As he did this, a pedestal appeared in the middle of the room. On top of the pedestal, in a small glass case, was the Peverell ring.

Dumbledore took several steps toward the pedestal. His eyes on the ring, he did not seem to notice the thin red line traced into the floorboards that surrounded the pedestal. His foot touched the line at the same time as his hand closed over the glass box containing the ring.

Instantly, the hand that was holding the box burst into flame. Hermione let out a stifled scream and Harry fought the urge to turn away. Dumbledore, however, did not panic. He quickly tapped his hand with his wand, and the fire died. The hand, however, was charred and blackened, and when Dumbledore turned to leave, he stumbled slightly, clutching at his chest.

Harry felt someone gripping his hand very hard; he looked down to see Ginny staring after Dumbledore with a horrified expression on her face. Dumbledore straightened up once more and disappeared. The room began to swirl very fast and Harry clutched at Ginny's hand now, trying to regain his bearings. The swirling stopped, and Harry found himself standing outside the gates to Hogwarts. Professor Dumbledore was already hurrying up the path to the doors.

Harry ran after him, knowing what was coming next. "_If it had not been for the timely arrival of Professor Snape…_" Harry did not want to see this part. He did not want to watch Snape manipulate Dumbledore into thinking him trustworthy, when he would only kill him less than a year later. However, he knew he must keep up with Dumbledore, if he hoped to find out how Horcruxes were destroyed.

He could hear the others racing up the path behind him. Dumbledore was already disappearing through the heavy front doors.

Harry ran straight through the doors. Dumbledore was stumbling up the main staircase, his movements now jerky and erratic. Three steps from the next landing, he sank to the floor, his face very pale.

A door flew open to the right; the door to the dungeons. Snape came out, his black robes billowing behind him as always. Harry seethed with rage at the sight. Snape made as though to walk toward the Great Hall, stopping when he saw Dumbledore.

"Headmaster?" He asked, looking convincingly perplexed. Dumbledore did not answer, he simply sat there, breathing heavily and cradling his blackened hand. Snape's eyes fell on the hand and widened knowingly. Racing up the steps, he helped Dumbledore to his feet and walked him down to the dungeons. Harry was hot on their heels, still fuming at the falsely concerned expression Snape had plastered on his face.

Once in Snape's office, Harry found Dumbledore slumped in a cushy chair, his eyes closed and his face paler than death. Snape was rummaging around his shelves. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Harry turned back to see Ron looking at him with a knowing expression. He seemed to understand exactly what Harry was thinking at the moment.

Snape pulled a large, ancient looking bottle from a very high shelf and hurried over to Dumbledore, pouring it down the older man's throat. Almost instantly, Dumbledore sat up straight and began to cough violently. Snape was already working on Dumbledore's hand, applying some sort of evil-smelling salve before wrapping it in a clean white cloth.

Dumbledore finally stopped coughing and sat all the way forward in the chair, so that his forehead rested on his knees. Snape was busy at his desk, preparing a potion in a cauldron. He added ingredients frantically, including what suspiciously looked like dragon blood.

When it was finally finished, Snape quickly helped Dumbledore drink a goblet full. When he was through drinking, Dumbledore leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

"Thank you, Severus," he mumbled. Snape knelt down in front of the Headmaster's chair.

"Curse fire, Headmaster?" He said quietly. "Where-" Dumbledore gave him a warning look.

"Do not ask, please," he said in a slightly stronger voice. "I was a bit careless, that is all I will say." Snape nodded slowly, looking genuinely worried. Harry resisted the urge to strike him, knowing full well he could not.

"You really should be more careful," Snape said quietly, standing up. "Albus," he added with a wry smile. Professor Dumbledore smiled back softly.

"My job is to ensure the protection of the future generation of the wizarding world. Some dangers must be confronted," he joked. Snape shook his head, exasperated.

"I suppose I should not trust to hope that you will tell me how you ever managed to be burned by curse fire?" He asked. Dumbledore shook his head.

"No, Severus. I'm afraid that is one thing I cannot share with you." Harry was shaking with suppressed rage. How could Dumbledore not have seen from conversations such as this? Here Snape was practically _begging_ Dumbledore to tell him his secrets, obviously so that he could run back to Voldemort with them as fast as possible.

Ron's grip on his shoulder tightened, and Harry felt grateful for this, because he could no longer see straight through all of his anger. His knees were even beginning to shake. Why would Dumbledore think that Harry would want to see this? Why could he not have simply given Harry the memory of him destroying the Horcrux? Why all of the back story to it?

Dumbledore got shakily to his feet. Snape looked as if he wanted to push the older man back into the chair, but didn't. Instead, he stood very still in the center of the room as Dumbledore made his way slowly to the door. When he reached it, he turned back to look at Snape.

"Thanks you, Severus," he said very quietly. "I am eternally grateful." He left off ominously, and a very odd expression crossed Snape's face.

"Headmaster," he said quickly, as Dumbledore opened the door. Dumbledore gazed back at him. Snape hesitated, several conflicting emotions showing in his black eyes. "I'll bring you more of the potion in a few hours," he said finally. "You'll need to take it a few times a day to ensure a full recovery." Dumbledore nodded and left the room. Everyone hurried out of the door after him, everyone except Harry.

As he had done in one of Snape's memories, when he had wanted to stay near his father instead, Harry willed himself to be able to stay there after Dumbledore had left the room. He desperately wanted to see what Snape would do after Dumbledore had gone.

The door closed with a soft click, and none of Harry's friends seemed to notice that he had not followed. Harry inched closer to Snape, who rubbed his eyes and seated himself back at his desk.

Scattered on the desk were many odd objects. A broken wand lay on top of a tall stack of parchment, and several tarnished gold chains were balled up in a pile right in the center. As Harry watched, Snape began to slowly and meticulously untangle the chains from each other. As he did so, a shiny chain was unearthed from the pile, standing out distinctly among the others. Snape took the chain between his thumb and forefinger and lifted it carefully.

Hanging from the end was an ordinary gold locket. Harry's heart seized up for a moment before he realized that it was plain and smooth on both sides. A blank sheet of parchment lay just beside the chains, a quill and inkpot at the ready.

Pointing his wand at the locket, Snape muttered a few words. A short blast of white light struck the locket and as Harry watched, an ornate "S" etched itself into the metal. Astonished, Harry took a step back. Snape picked up the quill and stared at the parchment for a moment, as if steeling himself. Nodding his head with an expression of grim determination, he lowered his quill and wrote.

_My Lord,_

_I have recovered your possession. I will guard it until you send for it._

_Snape_

Harry backed slowly away from Snape's desk, his mouth hanging open. He didn't understand it. He didn't believe it. After all, memories could be tampered with, couldn't they? This just didn't hold with Snape's past behavior.

"He must be doing it to trick Dumbledore," Harry said firmly to himself. Snape would have Dumbledore "accidentally" find that letter and give him the locket, making him think it was the real horcrux.

But as Harry hurried out of Snape's office and ran through the corridors toward the Head office, even he couldn't believe that. No matter how much he pretended to himself, it just didn't make sense. Then again, neither did what he had just witnessed. His was head spinning as he came out into the Entrance Hall and hurried up the main staircase, two steps at a time. He needed to catch up with the others and make sure he saw Dumbledore destroy the Horcrux.

He caught up with the group just in front of the Head office, where Dumbledore was mumbling the password. Every single one of them gave him an accusing stare as he slid to a stop beside them.

"Where were you?" Hermione demanded as they squeezed onto the spiral staircase.

"I hung back to see if Snape did anything suspicious after Dumbledore left." Hermione raised an eyebrow at Draco, surprisingly. Draco shrugged.

"Well, did he?" He asked.

Harry had been all set to tell them everything, but the way Hermione and Draco kept exchanging glances made him very suspicious. Closing his mouth, he shook his head.

"No, nothing. Just started sorting lessons for the coming year," Harry lied. Draco narrowed his eyes but Harry met his gaze unblinkingly and eventually Draco looked away.

They followed Dumbledore into the Head office, where he set the ring on a table and sank into a chair. He surveyed the ring over the tips of his fingers for a long time, looking exhausted.

At least fifteen minutes later, Dumbledore stood suddenly from his chair. Hermione, Ron, Ginny and Luna had seated themselves on the floor; they all shot to their feet. Neville and Draco had been conversing very quietly off to the side. They broke off and looked to Harry, who merely stood frozen as he watched Dumbledore approach the ring. Dumbledore pulled out his wand and trained it on the ring.

"_Immortalis nex._" There was a blinding flash of light and a loud cracking sound. The ring split open and a smoky gray figure began to emerge, shrieking in pain. Before the soul of Tom Riddle could fully take form, Dumbledore said, "_Avada Kedavra_!" The figure twisted and spun, and then disappeared.

Looking around at the others, who nodded, Harry left the Pensieve. He shot into the drawing room at Grimmauld Place, the rest of the coming out just behind him. Harry picked himself up off of the floor and dusted off his sweater.

"That was interesting," Ron remarked as he got to his feet. Ginny laughed sardonically.

"That's an understatement." She wrinkled her nose. "So what exactly did it do to his hand? I still don't understand that. And why did it affect him that severely?" Hermione sat gingerly on the sofa, looking exhausted and worried.

"That was a curse fire. Curse fire is different than a normal fire. It doesn't just burn the skin; it seeps into your veins like a poison. If you let it go too long it can stop your heart. It looks like Snape got there just in time." Harry glared at her.

"Yeah, and a fat lot of help he was, considering he killed him after that." He was still seething over the entire situation, even with what he had seen. Hermione shrugged.

"I was just saying that if he had been even a second later, Dumbledore may not have made it." Harry turned away and paced the length of the room.

"What was that stuff Snape made him drink?" Neville asked. Everyone looked at Hermione, but it was Draco who answered.

"Aguamentus, the only potion known to counter-act the effects of a curse fire." He gazed out of the window. "It's extremely difficult to make and has quite a few rare ingredients."

"Dragon's blood," Harry said softly. Draco nodded.

"Anyway, the first bottle was just a simple calming draught, I think. Sometimes that helps slow your heartbeat, so that the poison doesn't flow through your veins quite as quickly."

"That makes sense," Ginny replied. "But why was Dumbledore's hand still black after that? I remember it being that way all year." Hermione sighed.

"A curse fire burns your skin off completely," she said quietly. "If Snape hadn't put that salve on it, it would have spread. Curse fire is honestly one of the worst ways to kill someone, because it's slow and excruciatingly painful." She paused. "That's how they killed Madam Amelia Bones." Harry stared at her.

"Who told you that?" He asked, astonished.

"Susan," she replied simply. "She told me last year in one of our Ancient Runes classes." Ginny gaped at them.

"That's how Voldemort killed her?" Hermione nodded sadly. Ginny shuddered. "That's terrible."

"Well, should we get to this?" Harry asked. Hermione stood next to him and pulled the cup out of her pocket as Harry pulled the tiara out of his. Everyone gathered around them, wands out.

"Immortalis nex!" Harry and Hermione said together, and the tiara split in half. The cup seemed to melt, and a smoky gray figure seeped out of each object. "Now!" Harry said, and all seven of them said, "_Avada Kedavra_!" The tiara exploded and Harry ducked to avoid the flying pieces as the cup melted into a puddle of molten gold. Hermione quickly conjured a container that she moved the liquid gold into with her wand. Bits of tarnished silver littered the room and Harry summoned them all with his wand, dumping them into a pouch.

"I guess we were a bit overenthusiastic," Draco remarked. Harry shrugged, feeling relieved and drained at the same time.

"No matter. It's done, and now all we have left is the snake. We have to find Voldemort to find her, though."

"If only that was as easy said as done," Ron grumbled as they headed for the kitchen.


	7. A Distant Memory

**Harry Potter and the Order Rising**

**Chapter Seven: A Distant Memory**

A week later, Harry and the rest of the Order still had found no trace of Voldemort. None of the werewolves knew where Voldemort's base was, and no matter how hard they tried to find out, Voldemort might as well have fallen off of the face of the earth for all they could find.

Harry was becoming increasingly frustrated, and Draco was maintaining that he had no idea where Voldemort was. But the looks that Draco and Hermione continued to exchange when they thought no one was looking and the whispered conversations that ended the second anyone approached them made Harry more than a little suspicious. He said nothing, though, mostly because Ron had yet to notice and Harry did not feel like dealing with that.

"Harry, could I talk you for a moment?" Remus peeked around the doorway into the drawing room, where Harry was sorting the rest of the memories that Dumbledore had left him. They were labeled by content and date, thankfully, but Harry had just come across a small, unlabeled bottle and was regarding it curiously. It was smaller than the other bottles and the cork was slightly older looking.

"Sure," Harry replied absentmindedly, setting the bottle back on the table and following him from the room. Since they had taken up residence at Grimmauld Place again, Remus had visited frequently to give them updates. He led Harry up the stairs to the first bed room on the right, the one that Harry and Ron had shared that first summer here.

The slipped inside and Remus closed the door and locked it. Curious, Harry raised an eyebrow, to which Remus replied, "I don't want to be overheard." Harry nodded.

"In that case-" he pointed his wand at the door and said, "_Muffliato_." Remus shook his head.

"Harry, this is important, but I don't want you to jump to any conclusions or make any rash decisions." Harry stared at him.

"Remus, when have you ever known me to jump to conclusions or make rash decisions?" He asked with mock innocence. Remus smiled.

"Very funny, Harry. I'm only telling you this as a warning. Be careful what you tell people and why." Harry narrowed his eyes.

"Why?" He demanded. Remus sighed.

"Because the word around the Death Eaters, according to Morgum, is that the Order has a spy in its midst." Harry absorbed this information, though he was apparently not as shocked as Remus had expected him to be. "You suspect someone?" He added, and Harry shrugged.

"I know who you would think it is, but it seems much too obvious," he said slowly. "I'll be careful what I say around whom," he added, which seemed to reassure Remus slightly, though he seemed a bit perturbed that Harry was not letting on more than that. Harry gave Remus a small smile and unlocked the door.

"Harry, I hope you know that you can always trust me," Remus said as they walked back down the stairs. Startled, Harry nodded.

"Of course I do," he assured him. "It's not that I don't trust you, Moony. I just don't want to name any names without proof. You did tell me not to jump to any conclusions." Remus smiled.

"True, I did. I just want you to remember that you can confide in me if need be." He unlocked the front door's many bolts.

"I will," Harry replied. "You're all I've got left, Moony," he said in a low voice. Remus' eyes grew bright, and he nodded before sweeping off down the steps. Harry shut the door behind him, feeling a lump in his own throat. He had meant what he said. Remus was the last link left to his parent's, his only close father-figure. Even as distant as Remus had been the year before, Harry still felt a close connection to him that was borne purely from Remus' past relationship with Harry's parents.

"Harry?" He turned around to see Ginny watching him closely. He wondered if she had heard his conversation with Remus. He gave her a small smile and she returned it, slipping her arm around his waist. She led him back down to the kitchens, where Maria and Sam were making lunch for everyone.

"Harry!" Ron called gleefully from the other side of the kitchen, where he and Neville were making raspberry tarts. Hermione was trying to instruct them in the proper way, without wands, but all they seemed to be creating was huge mess. Harry hugged Ginny to him and looked at Maria.

"Anything I can do to help?" He asked. Maria shrugged, a grin on her face as she waved Sam away from the pot on the stove.

"Go on, let me finish this myself!" She told him, and he resigned himself to setting the table. Harry waited expectantly and Maria nodded toward Neville and Ron. "See if you can help them finish those sometime this week." Harry nodded and headed that way, Ginny at his heels. "And try and clean up a bit while you're at it," she added, and Ron and Neville burst out laughing.

"Where are Draco and Luna?" Harry asked as he rolled up his sleeves. Ron wiped a tear from his eye and smeared raspberry jam all over his cheek, which sent Neville into another peal of laughter. Hermione rolled her eyes at both of them, smothering her smile, and answered him, "They're dumping the garbage down the chute. They should be back any second." Harry nodded but did not return her smile. She frowned after him as he turned away and out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw her raise an eyebrow at Ginny, who shrugged.

"Now what, Hermione?" Ron asked, up to his elbows in jam and dough. Ginny handed both boys a wet towel and they set about cleaning themselves off as Ginny and Hermione set the little tarts on a pan to bake them. Harry pulled out his wand and used it to clean the jam off of the floor and the old wooden table. When he had finished, he helped Sam finish the silverware and turned to Maria, who was carrying the large pot to the table.

"It's ready," she said, and Hermione passed out bowls as they all sat around the table, dishing the stew out and enjoying the warm, savory taste.

After lunch, Harry returned to the drawing room, where he finished organizing the memory bottles and then sat examining the unmarked one. He was tempted to view it, but he didn't know what it could be about and he could only view it with Draco, which did not appeal to him at the moment.

The drawing room door opened, and Ron came over and sat next to him.

"What's that?" He asked. Harry shrugged.

"Dunno. That's what I'm trying to figure out." Ron looked over the bigger, labeled bottles and then back at the tiny one in Harry's hand.

"How come he labeled all of these, but left that one unmarked?" Ron's face was full of genuine confusion, and Harry shrugged again, placing the bottle in the bag.

"Maybe I wasn't supposed to end up with that one," he said in a low voice. "Maybe it's something he didn't want anyone to see."

"But then why wouldn't he just leave it in his mind. Why would he put it in a bottle, vulnerable to other people?" Ron pulled the bottle back out and examined it closely. "Maybe you _were_ supposed to end up with this, but you weren't supposed to know what it was until you saw it. Maybe- maybe it's not even Dumbledore's memory," he finished in a whisper. Harry nodded.

"It's possible. But either way I won't find out, because I'm only going to view it alone. I can't do that with this Pensieve." Ron looked somewhat shocked. "I don't know what's in it or who it's meant for, and I refuse to display someone else's private memories that way." He felt sure that the memory was Dumbledore's even though he'd said "someone". Ron handed him back the bottle.

"You know, you could always ask Malfoy to let you see it alone, if there's a way. Or you could have him take you in but then he could pull right back out." Harry stared at him skeptically.

"Yeah, but do you think he would? What happens if we get in there and he refuses to leave? I can't force him to." Ron shook his head.

"Why wouldn't he? He's on our side now, remember?" Harry shrugged.

"If you say so," he replied, sliding the bottle back into the case once more. Ron put his hand on Harry's arm.

"Harry, is there something you're not telling me? Do you have a reason to believe Malfoy's not on our side?" Harry hesitated, avoiding Ron's eyes. He'd never really lied to Ron about anything, and he rarely held things back from his best friend. But in this instance, he knew it was best to keep his suspicions to himself.

"No, not really. Old habits just die hard, you know?" Harry lied, and Ron raised an eyebrow. "Oh, come on, you can't tell me it's easy for you to just up and trust Malfoy. We never have." Ron shrugged.

"True. But I trust who you trust, Harry. I go where you go and I do what you say. If you think we can trust him, then I trust him. But if you don't think we can trust him, then I'd say you probably have a good reason. I just wish you would trust _me_ with that reason." Harry nodded.

"You know I would, Ron. It's just been hard for me, cooped up here, waiting for Voldemort to show his ugly face. We're getting close to the end, and I have a hard time not glancing over my shoulder everywhere I go." Ron patted his shoulder and stood up.

"Ask Mal- Draco. I bet he would help you." He left the room and Harry slumped in his chair, trying to make sense of his own thoughts. Was he just in his reasons to suspect Draco? Was the spy who he thought it was? _Could _it be anyone else? He couldn't fathom any of his friends being a spy for Voldemort. Nor could he picture anyone in the Order selling them out. Even Percy was completely trustworthy, having helped them persuade the werewolves to turn against Voldemort.

Harry rubbed his hands over his face, jamming the heels of his hands into his eyes until he saw stars. Was he making something out of nothing? Perhaps Hermione and Draco were simply whispering about him. Maybe they were worried. Or maybe they were discussing strategies. They were, by far, the two cleverest of the group, former enemies or not.

But the look, the look that had passed between them in Dumbledore's memory. How could that be explained away? Unless… perhaps he had imagined it? No, he couldn't have. Why would he? But then, why would they? None of it made sense, whichever way he spun it. It was like the scene with Snape in the Pensieve; the more he tried to work through it, the more confused he became. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back.

_He stood in the middle of a darkened room. Several figures kneeled in front of him._

_"Get up!" He snapped. "Your groveling will not help you this time, Avery. I've given you far too many chances. Does your incompetence know no bounds?" The man closest to Harry climbed to his feet, but he kept his head bowed and his eyes trained on the floor._

_"Master, forgive me. Bellatrix and I were sure they would hide at the old Black house in London. After all, it belongs to Potter now. But we cannot seem to find it. It must have enchantments on it."_

_"We have lost our closest tie to Harry Potter and his friends. We no longer have any way of knowing where they are or what they are doing. _You_ are responsible for letting that get away from us!" Avery cowed slightly under Harry's teeming rage._

_"My Lord, we are doing all we can to track down Potter."_

_"Well do more!" Harry lashed out. "We need a way to get to him. A way to lure him here to me." He tapped his chin thoughtfully._

_"My Lord." A slightly shorter figure stepped forward. His voice was much younger than the rest and was familiar to Harry, though he couldn't place it._

_"What is it?" Harry demanded, agitated at the interruption. The man knelt at Harry's feet._

_"I have an idea, my Lord. I was at Hogwarts with Potter, and he had a girlfriend for a short time. They broke things off at the end of the year, but they are still friends. She is even helping him now, and is a member of their Order." Harry stroked his chin, and then gripped the man firmly by the arm, yanking him to his feet._

_"Can you get to her?" He nodded._

_"It would be all too easy, my Lord." Harry released him and nodded to Wormtail, who was standing just off to the side._

_"Wormtail, take Avery to the dungeons. I tire of his incompetence." Wormtail grabbed Avery with his silver hand and Avery cried out as the bone in his arm snapped beneath the strong grip. "The rest of you, get that girl. I want her here by tomorrow night."_

"Harry?" Harry's head snapped up so fast he had to rub a crick out of his neck. Draco was standing in the doorway of the drawing room.

"Where's Ginny?" Harry demanded immediately. Draco looked confused.

"What?" He came into the room. Harry shot to his feet, trying to keep all the details of the vision in his mind. All he could focus on was that Ginny was in danger.

"Where is Ginny?" He repeated.

"I'm right here," she said, coming through the door. "What do you need?" He hugged her tightly, saying to Draco, "Go get the others." Draco hurried from the room, and Ginny squirmed out of his grasp, looking up at him.

"Harry, what's going on?" He pulled her back to him a bit more forcefully than he had meant to and said, "I want to wait until the other get here." Ginny nodded, her head moving up and down against his chest. Draco returned within thirty seconds leading Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Luna. Harry released Ginny and she moved to stand beside him.

"Harry, what it is?" Hermione asked immediately. It was ironic, he thought, that Hermione could read him better than anyone else just by looking at his face, but she was the one that, at the moment, he trusted the least.

"I saw Voldemort," he said. His friends' worried faces stared back at him.

"You mean, like in a dream?" Ron whispered. Harry shook his head.

"No. I mean like back in fifth year. I _was_ Voldemort again." Hermione gasped.

"But I thought he had closed his mind to you," she protested. Harry shrugged.

"Then he must not be concentrating very hard, because I didn't even try."

"Harry, what did he say?" Ginny asked.

"He's after you." She recoiled from him. Ron made an odd sort of choking noise. "One of the Death Eaters was young, our age. He said he'd gone to school with me and mentioned that I had a girlfriend until the end of the year, and that we were still friends. They know you're helping me, and that you're a member of the Order."

"They can't get to her, can they?" Neville wondered. "Not here, anyway?" Harry shook his head.

"No, I'm not worried about them getting her. They'd have to take us all down first." Everyone nodded.

"But what if he doesn't know I'm _with_ you," Ginny asked, looking worried. "They know I'm not at Hogwarts, but they might go to my house." Ron blanched.

"Mum and dad!" he whispered. Harry stood up.

"We'll have to move them here. We'll inform everyone to stay away from the Burrow for a few days and we'll relocate your parents here, until we know for sure they are safe." Ron stood, looking anxious.

"Come on. We're wasting time and we don't know exactly when they're going after Ginny."

A few hours later, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were settled comfortably at Grimmauld Place. Harry put them up in the master suite when evening came. They tried to protest, but he waved them off.

"I'm sleeping downstairs. The others, they won't allow me out of their sight for a second, not even to sleep!" Mr. Weasley laughed.

"Well, you can't really blame them. They did almost lose you once." Harry smiled.

"I know, and I don't. You two make yourselves comfortable up there and we'll be downstairs in the drawing room. Let me know if you need anything." Mrs. Weasley patted his shoulder.

"We'll be perfectly fine, Harry. You go back down and get some rest, you need it." Harry nodded and made his way back down the stairs.

In the drawing room, Ron and Neville were both snoring lightly on camp beds. Hermione, Luna and Ginny were sharing the couch, which Hermione had expanded magically to fit the three of them. They were asleep as well.

Harry was surprised to see Draco sitting up, awake, his knees to his chest and his head against the wall. The Pensieve was on the floor by his feet. Confused, Harry raised an eyebrow at him and lowered himself to the floor.

"Ron said you wanted to ask me a favor," Draco whispered, his eyes narrowed slightly. Harry folded his arms.

"Maybe. Why do you have the Pensieve out?" He asked. Draco smirked.

"Well, for one thing, you've been playing with those memories all day. For another, I don't have much to offer now, so I assumed that whatever you had to ask me was about the Pensieve or about the Dark Lord. Call this 'wishful thinking'," he joked. Harry smiled without warmth.

"There's a memory I want to view, but I want to view it alone," he said, cutting straight to the chase. "I don't know if that's possible, but I'd like to try." He locked eyes with Draco, who didn't even blink.

"I was waiting for when you might ask that," he said softly. Harry's brows touched.

"Why is that?" He demanded, a bit more loudly than he meant to. Ron made a grunting sort of noise and rolled over before resuming his snores. Draco waited a few seconds before replying.

"I figure those memories mean a lot to you. Dumbledore left them to you for a reason, too. And I know that you don't trust me one hundred percent. I also assumed that you might feel more comfortable viewing them alone. The last time you and I viewed something together, it was a bit awkward." Harry nodded slowly.

"You're right about everything," he replied, missing the look on Draco's face as he scratched his nose. "I would particularly like to view this alone," he held up the bottle, which he had slipped in his pocket earlier that afternoon. Draco took it and examined it.

"It's old," was all he said. Before Harry could speak, Draco uncorked it and tipped it into the Pensieve, then held it out. Harry stared at him.

"Don't you have to go in with me?"

"I thought you wanted to go alone?" Harry nodded. "Well, then go." Harry decided he didn't need an explanation. Reaching out, he touched the silver mass with his forefinger.

Harry looked around. He was on a dark street; tall houses surrounded him. The scene was familiar, but not. He knew he had seen it somewhere before, but something about it was different enough that he couldn't quite place it. A dark figure shrouded in a black robe and cloak hurried to the front walk of one of the houses. At the bushes that lined the house, he stopped.

"Lily?" He whispered. The voice… Harry froze. He knew where they were now, and he knew that voice. He slipped closer, standing right next to the man, whose head was covered. Harry's mother stepped out of the shadows.

"I told you not to come," she whispered fiercely. He shrank back away from her a bit. "Don't think I don't know why you did. I already know what you're going to say, so don't bother saying it!"

"Lily, please, I beg you, don't-"

"Don't what? Don't marry him? Don't fall in love with him? You're too late on that one," she bit out. The man flinched with every word, as though she were chucking daggers at him. "Did you really think coming here tonight would change my mind?" He seemed to choke on his words for a moment before replying, "No."

There was a heavy silence that weighed the air, like the humidity after a rainstorm. The man fidgeted with his cloak for a few seconds, and when he spoke, his voice was thick, "but I hoped…" He trailed off and Lily folded her arms.

"Hoped what? I don't know what you thought might happen, but you were dead wrong. You should know me better than that."

"Lily, I'm sorry-"

"You're sorry, huh? It was an accident, right? It just slipped out?"

"Yes, I mean no, I mean- Lily that was a long time ago!" Lily laughed humorlessly.

"And it hurts more and more every day. Not just that, and you know it. You had your chance. You had your choice, and you made it. You chose them."

"No!" He half shouted. Lily glared at him and he lowered his voice. "No, I mean, not like you think-"

"It doesn't matter anymore," she sighed, dropping her arms to her sides. "You made your life and I've made mine. I'm happy with my choice. I hope you're happy with yours." She turned away, and he grabbed her arm.

"No, please, Lily. I loved you; I still love you," he half-sobbed. She gently pried his fingers from her arm.

"I know," she whispered, her voice laced with sorrow and pity. Turning, she walked up the steps, stopping at the last one, her back to Harry and the cloaked man, who was reaching out with one hand. Harry thought she might turn and look back, but instead she squared her shoulders and walked, straight-backed, to the front door of the house. The man fell to his knees, sobbing quietly. Harry did his best to quell his pity, but it was hard. Looking up, he willed himself out of the Pensieve. As he rose through the air, he looked down at the man, still kneeling, still sobbing.


	8. An Unexpected Victim

**A/N:** This is the last full chapter I have written. I have about 10-12 pages written elsewhere but not in chapter form, just random snippets that need to be put together. I don't know how long that will take me, but I'll do my best!

**Harry Potter and the Order Rising**

**Chapter Eight: An Unexpected Victim**

Harry landed facedown on the floor of the drawing room. Draco helped him to his feet. Harry turned his face away, trying not to show the conflicting emotions that were running through him. He did not want Draco to be able to discern anything from his expression. He watched Ginny sleeping across the room for a moment; her deep, even breathing soothed him.

A hand on his shoulder told him Draco was still behind him. Turning to face him, Harry composed his features as best he could. Draco searched his expression for a moment, one eyebrow raised.

"You all right, Potter?" He asked, his voice somewhat gruff. Harry wondered if Draco would have been able to look into the Pensieve from above and see any of it. After all, the first time he had used a Pensieve, he had been able to see the location of the memory before accidentally propelling himself into it.

"I'm fine," Harry lied. Draco shook his head.

"Whatever you say." Harry glared at him.

"I said I'm fine, okay?" He snapped. "What did you see?" He demanded. Draco held up his hands.

"Nothing, Potter. Calm down." He reached down and picked up his wand, using it to put the memory back in the bottle. He handed it to Harry, who said, "You really couldn't see anything?"

"Nothing, I swear. That Pensieve is different than most others; you can't view anything from the outside if someone else is in there." Not completely convinced, Harry slipped the bottle back into his pocket.

"How did I get in there without you?" He wanted to know. Draco shrugged.

"Because I let you. Hermione could probably explain it better, but basically the Pensieve was in my hands, and I allowed you to go in."

"It can read your thoughts?" Harry asked incredulously. Draco laughed softly.

"No, more like emotions, I suppose. I wasn't trying to wrestle the Pensieve away from you, so it was pretty clear that you were entering with my consent." Harry was not sure he understood exactly how that was supposed to work, but he nodded anyway.

"We should probably get some sleep," he said, turning to the camp bed that was set up for him. Draco went to his and crawled under the covers.

"You know," he said just before Harry drifted off to sleep. "I've never slept on a camp bed before. They're actually quite comfy."

Harry awoke the next morning to a delicious smell and raised voices. Lifting his head, he saw that it was not quite mid-morning but awhile after dawn. Hermione was sitting up on the couch-bed with her eyebrows raised, knitting something unrecognizable. Ginny and Luna were gone. Ron and Neville were still snoring. Draco was lying down, but his eyes were open. Judging by his annoyed expression, he, too had just been awoken by the voices coming from the kitchen.

Dragging himself to his feet, he wondered for a moment why he felt as though he had been run over by a train. Thinking back to the night before, he quite remembered silently crying himself to sleep. He felt like a baby, but didn't care. He could not even begin to discern what he had seen in the Pensieve, and he was not sure he wanted to.

He slipped down the stairs to the kitchen, Draco lumbering along behind him. Pushing the door open, he peeked inside.

"Molly, really-" Luna's dad was standing between Mrs. Weasley and Maria, whose normally kind face was looking hurt and angry.

"Sam, perhaps we should stay out of this," Mr. Weasley said softly.

"Mrs. Weasley," Maria was saying over the both of them. Mrs. Weasley held up her hand.

"Please, call me Molly," she interjected, though her gritted teeth somewhat ruined the gesture. This irony was not lost on Maria, who rolled her eyes and continued as though she had not been interrupted, "thank you, but I really am perfectly capable of cooking breakfast for everyone. I've been doing it for a couple of weeks now. I appreciate the offer," she said, her eyes flashing dangerously, "but I'm actually finished now and don't require any assistance."

Mrs. Weasley nodded curtly and turned to sit at the table. Maria closed her eyes for a moment, seeming to gain composure, and turned to the stove, where she began dolling the sausages onto plates.

Not wanting to make things worse, Harry tiptoed back out of the kitchen, herding Draco along with him. As they went quietly back up the stairs, they heard footsteps coming back down. At the main landing, they ran into Ginny, and Luna, who were slightly red-faced and out of breath.

"What were you doing up there?" Harry demanded, and they exchanged guilty glances.

"Well," Ginny began, "Luna and I were thinking about needing to find Voldemort, you know? And, well, a Death Eater used to live in this house. So we sort-of searched his room for clues." Draco's eyes widened.

"Did you find anything?" He demanded. Luna shook her head.

"No," she replied sadly. Ginny was watching Draco with narrowed eyes.

"You know, perhaps we could continue to search, though," she said slowly. "The house, I mean. I am sure we could find something to help us discover where Voldemort is hiding." Draco opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, something silver came through the door, scaring Harry out of his wits.

"_Harry, this is urgent. One of the Order members has been taken by Voldemort. I'm on my way to Headquarters right now."_

Lupin's voice echoed in his head. Stunned, Harry leaned against the wall. Who could have been taken? And why?

Suddenly, he remembered his dream. Voldemort had been plotting to get at someone, he thought Ginny. But they had never said a name, and Ginny was not the only girlfriend he had ever had.

"They've got Cho," Harry whispered.

"What are you talking about?" Hermione demanded, coming up the stairs from the kitchen.

"My dream," Harry said, "they were after Cho, not Ginny! Whoever that Death Eater was, he must have left before our sixth year."

"Right after you and Cho broke up," Ginny finished, an odd expression on her face. Harry shook his head.

"We didn't even think of Cho," Hermione whispered in a frightened voice. "We just assumed it was Ginny, because she's so close to you now." Harry put his head in his hands.

"I just hope she's all right. Lupin's on his way over." He rubbed his face. "This is all my-"

"No it's not!" Ginny snapped, and everyone stared at her in surprise. "This is not your fault, Harry. She joined the Order all on her own, you didn't force her to. And you didn't force her to like you two years ago. _This is not your fault_." Harry looked up at her, astonished. She reached out and touched his arm.

"Thanks, Ginny," he said quietly. She smiled slightly.

It was late into the evening when the sound of someone knocking came through the drawing room door. Ron peeked out of the window.

"It's Lupin," he said. Harry raced to the door, but Hermione beat him there and stopped him. Turning to the door, she called out, "Who's there?"

"It's Moony!" He called back. She pursed her lips.

"If it's really Moony, what does Harry's boggart turn into?" Harry gave her the thumbs up. Anyone but Remus would assume Voldemort.

"A dementor, Hermione. And I believe yours was Professor McGonagall-" Hermione wrenched the door open, blushing slightly. Remus hurried in and shut the door behind him, bolting it.

"I was very stressed out that year," Hermione protested. Remus smiled.

"I was only teasing, Hermione. I wanted you to be sure it was me." She nodded. Remus turned to Harry.

"I can't stay long," he said. "I've got to get to the Ministry and help Andromeda cover this one up." Harry's fears were confirmed.

"It was Cho, wasn't it?" He asked. Remus nodded. Harry quickly told him about the dream.

"We assumed they meant Ginny, and so we just kept an extra close eye on her and moved Mr. and Mrs. Weasley here. I never even thought that they might mean Cho." Remus sighed.

"We're close, Harry. We think we may have almost found him. When we do, we'll get Cho back. Until then, I want you to remain here in Grimmauld Place. As soon as we find him, we'll contact you." Harry stared at him.

"You're joking. I am not going to stay behind in a safe house while you all risk your lives hunting down Voldemort!" Remus put a hand on his shoulder.

"Harry, we need you for when we _find_ Voldemort. We can't afford for something to happen to you while out there looking." Harry folded his arms, stubbornly determined to fight this one.

"Nothing is going to happen to me," he protested.

"But something already did," Hermione argued. "No, Harry, I think he's right. If we want to have any hope of defeating Voldemort, we have to keep you alive and healthy until then." Harry rolled his eyes, but before he could protest more, Remus stopped him.

"I won't say any more on it. We've almost got him. It shouldn't be but another couple of days." Hermione tugged on Harry's arm.

"Come on, Harry. Just, please, let them do this, for once? You can't do it all." Harry sighed and looked away.

"All right, fine. But I want to know the _second_ you find him." Remus nodded.

"You will, Harry, I promise. I need to go now, Morgum is waiting for me. He thinks he may have some more new recruits."

"Be careful, Moony," Harry replied. Remus unbolted the door and disappeared into the night. Harry turned to Hermione.

"I don't like this. Something doesn't feel right." Hermione shrugged.

"There's not much else we can do," she said in a slightly defeated voice. Harry glared at her.

"There's always something we can do. And I hate being kept here and not being allowed to do it." He hadn't meant to get angry, and was a bit surprised at his own outburst. Hermione, who was long used to his temper, simply shook her head.

"You've already done a large part, Harry, and you're going to do an ever larger part soon. Let Moony do his part." Her voice was still calm and collected, like Lupin's would have been, and this soothed Harry somewhat.

"I'm sorry, Hermione. I didn't mean to snap." She smiled and patted his arm, then led him back to the drawing room.

"I know. Come on, let's get some sleep."

They spent another week there in Grimmauld Place. Harry was getting restless, but neither Remus nor any of his friends would allow him to leave the house. Remus gave them regular updates, but they seemed to be making little progress.

"I don't get it!" Harry exclaimed after the eighth day. "Why would he kidnap Cho to lure me to him if he is going to hide himself from me? It just doesn't make any sense!"

"Maybe he thinks you already know where he is," Luna suggested. Hermione shook her head, giving Draco another sidelong glance that Harry could no longer ignore.

"No, Voldemort knows Harry. If Harry knew where Voldemort was and that he had Cho, Harry would be there to rescue her in a heartbeat." There was a pause, in which Harry and Ginny both glared at Hermione, who sighed. "Well, it's the truth, Harry," she said.

"Well thank you for making me sound like a reckless idiot," Harry snapped. His anger rose to the surface again. "It's good to know that my friends have faith in my reasoning." He turned away angrily and peered out of the window. He heard shuffling behind him, and Draco finally spoke.

"Umm, who's hungry?" He asked aloud. A chorus of positive murmurs answered him, and footsteps signaled that they were leaving the room. A hand touched his arm.

"Harry-"

"I'm not hungry," he bit out. The hand tightened around his arm and pulled him gently around. Hermione was standing next to him; the rest of the room was empty.

"Look, I didn't mean anything bad by it," she said softly. "But I do think it's odd that he would try to lure you and then make it impossible for you to find him." Harry rolled his eyes.

"I deduced that quite awhile ago," he said sarcastically. Suddenly, Hermione pushed him so that he fell onto the sofa.

"Out with it, Harry," she demanded. "What is your problem with me lately?" Harry glared at her.

"I don't have a problem with you. I'm just a bit stressed out, all right?" She crossed her arms.

"I'm not buying it. You're not snapping at anyone but me." Harry let out an angry huff.

"If you're going to keep things from me, why should I tell you the whole truth?" His anger had reached a boiling point. He was tired of this house, tired of pretending that he didn't notice Hermione and Draco whispering all the time, tired of wondering what that look had been about that they had shared in Dumbledore's memory.

"Harry, what are you talking about?" She asked, looking bewildered. Before Harry could answer, something burned his wrist.

"Ouch!" Looking down, he realized the coin was glowing. Grabbing it from the string, he held it up and read it.

_Hogwarts is under attack. Please help! -Michael_

Harry froze. Death Eaters were attacking Hogwarts, and he had been told to stay out of it. Well, that was not going to happen this time.

"What is it?" Hermione asked quietly.

"Hogwarts is under attack," he replied shortly. He stood up. "We have to go help." To his surprise, Hermione did not protest.

"I'll get the others. You contact Moony and the rest of the Order." She disappeared through the door. Harry immediately conjured a patronus and gave it the message, sending it on to Lupin. Just as he had finished, the others came tumbling into the room.

"Harry, what are we going to do?" Ron asked.

"We're going to go help them," Harry said in a voice so determined that no one dared argue.

"Let's go, then," Ginny said.

As they exited the drawing room, Maria came down the stairs.

"Harry, wait," she said quietly, grabbing his arm and gently pulling him into a small alcove. She quickly slipped a chain over his head. Hanging from it was the Ring of Gryffindor.

"Maria, what?" She shook her head.

"Just trust me. You'll know when to use it." Harry stared at her, but Ron was already running back down the stairs with his parents at his heels.

"Let's go, Harry," Draco said, his hand on the doorknob. Harry looked at Maria, who backed away to stand next to Sam. He had elected to stay behind with her.

"I-" Hermione's hand closed on Harry's arm.

"Let's go!" She said more urgently. Maria smiled softly.

"Go, Harry," she whispered. "Good luck." Harry succumbed to Hermione's insistent tugs, tucking the ring and chain down the neck of his shirt. He hoped Maria was right.


End file.
